KZN public works MEC Martin Meyer 'not afraid' after second bullet left at office

KwaZulu-Natal public works and infrastructure MEC Martin Meyer, who is in the middle of an anti-corruption sweep in his department, has received another death threat.

Staff members found a bullet placed on the doorstep of his Durban office on Monday morning.

“The bullet was found by staff members reporting to the office in the morning as usual and the relevant authorities were then contacted. Meyer was also alerted about the find as he was not in the office at the time,” said his spokesperson Steve Bhengu.

Bhengu said the latest incident comes as Meyer is leading a “strong stance” against corruption and fraud in the department with a number of senior officials facing disciplinary processes and some dismissed.

The threat occurred less than a week after the department and provincial government hosted the “biggest property management conference in Africa” at the Durban ICC.

He said Meyer had reiterated during the conference he would not allow the event to be used as an “envelope exchange platform for underhanded deals”.

This is the second threat of this nature directed at Meyer since he assumed office in June as part of the government of provincial unity.

The first incident was brought to light by national public works and infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson in August when he revealed Meyer had found a bullet casing placed next to his official vehicle shortly after taking a tough stand against construction mafia in the province — a group of armed men known to use tactics such as intimidation, violence and extortion to force their way into projects in the construction industry.

Reflecting on that incident in a YouTube podcast last month, Meyer said he was aware this was an “old sign of warning” tactic but he wasn't easily intimidated.

He has said on numerous public occasions the incident should not be treated as an isolated case and police should not prioritise it over other cases of ordinary citizens, citing the example of Durban primary schoolteacher Dudu Khumalo who was shot dead in a classroom last year.

“Our responsibility as the provincial government is to make everyone safe, not just me. My situation is not unique, it’s a situation millions of people in KZN go through daily.”

Bhengu added Meyer remained adamant Monday’s incident would not discourage him from his efforts to root out corruption.

“In response to the latest bullet incident, Meyer is adamant no amount of threats will deter him from rooting out corruption and malfeasance in the department. The MEC remains committed in continuing in the positive trajectory the KZN public works and infrastructure finds itself in, which will see it being a department that works for the people of KZN again.”

KwaZulu-Natal SAPS spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda said: “Mayville police have opened a case of intimidation after an incident in which a spent projectile was found on the outside steps of an office building along the King Cetshwayo highway on February 3.”

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