Nelson Mandela Bay Acting City Manager Arrested on Corruption Charges

Mvuleni Mapu, Acting City Manager of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, was arrested at his home on charges of fraud and corruption in the early hours of Friday morning.

According to the Hawks the charges against Mapu are based on actions within the Municipality’s department of human settlements, where he previously worked as the housing delivery director. The Hawks have further stated that Mapu allegedly received a bribe of R900 000 to award a housing tender.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has welcomed the arrested. Cllr Nqaba Bhanga – DA EC Provincial Leader and NMB Mayoral Candidate – said in a statement that the arrest supports the DA’s long-held stance “that he is a deeply compromised and corrupt individual”.

Under the DA-led government numerous allegations of corruption led to Mapu’s suspension as director of housing delivery.

“In May 2019, the ANC led coalition of corruption reinstated Mapu and nine other suspended officials after pushing through a council decision to bring back controversial suspended officials. Mapu was subsequently appointed as the acting City Manager in spite of disciplinary charges against him and a dark cloud of controversy which has hung over him for years.

“It is clear that the deeply compromised Mapu was reinstated by the ANC-led coalition of corruption to further facilitate the ongoing looting of the City’s coffers,” said the statement.

The DA had strongly opposed Mapu’s recent appointment as Acting Manager and have raised their concerns with regards to this to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Eastern Cape MEC for CoGTA, Xolile Nqatha, and National Treasury.

“The DA has been vindicated in its fight to bring Mapu to justice and we will not stop until all corrupt cadres are removed from the Municipality’s administration and face the full might of the law,” said Bhanga.

Two other NMB municipal officials were apparently also arrested by the Hawks today, although the charges relating to their arrest are unclear, said the DA.