Pretoria - Tshwane politician Zakes Rantseli has been released on bail after being arrested for alleged false representation and fraud.
Rantseli is accused of presenting himself to the City of Tshwane as an investigator from the Special Investigating Unit, and asking for a bribe to make allegations of corruption against metro officials go away.
He was arrested on Friday and appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where he was granted R3 000 bail. He will appear again on February 19.
Head of forensic and investigation services in the City of Tshwane Dorothy Mmushi said Rantseli had contacted city manager Jason Ngobeni.
According to her, Rantseli said he was investigating allegations of corruption “on behalf of Luthuli House”, the ANC’s national head office, and claimed to be in possession of a report on corruption in the metro.
He wanted to meet the city manager to give him the names of those allegedly involved. Mmushi, who used to work for the SIU, said she contacted the unit which said they did not have such an investigator, nor were they investigating corruption in the Tshwane Metro Council for the ANC.
After his release, Rantseli denied having misrepresented himself. He said he had been mandated to investigate corrupt officials and claimed he had forensic reports on corruption in Tshwane.
Pretoria News