Emalahleni councillors arrested after hot cash handover in sting operation

17 April 2025 - 08:14 By TImesLIVE
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Two councillors were arrested for taking cash, allegedly as a bribe.
Two councillors were arrested for taking cash, allegedly as a bribe.
Image: SAPS

Two members of the mayoral council in the Emalahleni local municipality spent the night behind bars after they were arrested for corruption.

The bust went down at Witbank Dam on Wednesday in an operation organised by the Middelburg-based serious corruption unit, Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Magonseni Nkosi said.

The councillors, aged 54 and 55, received R20,000 in cash “as part of an alleged R500,000 gratification demanded for the victim to qualify for the extension of a lease agreement”.

This was the second payment made by the business-person, after R40,000 was equally shared by the suspects in February, Nkosi said.

Mpumalanga Hawks boss Maj-Gen Nico Gerber said: “We will at no stage allow people, regardless of their positions, to enrich themselves at the expense of honest businesspeople forced to pay bribes to ensure that they can contribute to job creation and employment. This should send a stern warning to officials.”

TimesLIVE


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