A senior official in the Abaqulusi (Vryheid) municipality was on Thursday apprehended by the Hawks for allegedly stealing a power generator belonging to the troubled northern KZN council.
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) official - whose name is known to Independent Media but cannot be revealed until he appears in court - allegedly stole the generator and used it at his home.
During the dramatic arrest by the Hawks, the official (a senior councillor) was nabbed together with an official who is believed to be an accomplice in the matter.
Coordinator of the ANC-aligned South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) in the Zululand region Vusi Mdluli said they welcomed the arrest.
“We hope and believe that the law will take its course and restorative justice will be served as we subscribe to clean and corruption free governance, AbaQulusi Residents and Ratepayers deserves better service delivery,” Mdluli said.
Spokesperson of the KZN department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs Senzo Mzila said they were concerned with the detention by police of a senior councillor and official in Abaqulusi.
“While the department prescribes to the legal principles of innocent until proven guilty, it is concerned about these developments. The Abaqulusi council is currently under administration by the provincial government due to various governance failures. The department continues to provide adequate support so that the state of governance in this municipality can be improved. The department is urging officials within the municipality to work with the law enforcement agencies in the execution of their duties,” Mzila said.
However, the IFP cried foul regarding the arrest. The party’s national chairperson Blessed Gwala slammed the dramatic arrest saying there was no need for the Hawks to pounce on their member while busy presiding over a council sitting.
“But we can only wait until the court decide who is wrong and who is right. But it smacks a smear campaign not only against Khumalo but also against the IFP because. You cannot arrest a speaker while he is presiding in a council as if he is a criminal that is in hiding,” Gwala said.