Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature Zandile Gumede has arrived at the Durban Commercial Crimes Court. The fraud and corruption case against the former eThekwini mayor and 17 others emanates from a R430-million Durban Solid Waste tender scandal in 2016.
Gumede will appear with city manager Sipho Nzuza and other municipal officials and companies who are believed to have colluded with her.
Gumede’s lawyers have filed an application for the case against her to be truck off the roll. They argue that the NPA has failed to provide her with the relevant charges since her arrest last year. At her last court appearance, the State said it needed more time to investigate.
Despite the continuing court matter, Gumede was recently sworn in as ANC member of the provincial legislature. Her deployment however sparked an outcry. This prompted the ANC to take a decision that she will not participate in legislature activities until she has been cleared by the party’s Integrity Commission.
In the video below Mzomuhle Dube says, they discouraged Zandile’s supporters from coming to court in numbers
Last month, ANC KZN Spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela said the party believes Gumede is innocent until proven guilty.
Ntombela says, “No, it is not a promotion. Local government is the core area of service. The legislature’s role and responsibilities is implementing legislation and overseeing the functionality of some of the government departments. Her being an ordinary MPL should be earning far less than what she would be earning in the municipality, if I am not mistaken.”
“The ANC has got the responsibility of ensuring that the only metro you have in the province services our people and what is of paramount importance for the ANC is that we cannot throw away our individuals until the processes of law take its course. At this stage she is innocent until proven guilty,” says Ntombela.
