MBOMBELA- A City Of Mbombela administrator and his colleague appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court today for their alleged involvement in the unlawful sale and purchase of municipal properties.
Sibusiso Dube (42) and Mandla Shongwe (54) were arrested by the Hawks’ Nelspruit-based Serious Corruption Investigation on Monday, June 1 following an investigation.
The HAWKS stated that the City Council had imposed a moratorium in 2023 prohibiting the sale of municipal properties.
Spokesperson, Colonel Magonseni Nkosi said the administration officer, who allegedly had in-depth knowledge of the municipality’s property sales processes, is accused of transferring a house valued at R540 000 to his uncle, a person living with a disability, without his consent. The property was later found to be under the control of the administration officer.
“He allegedly further benefited from the sale of another property valued at R442 000, which was sold to an unsuspecting police official. Investigations also revealed that a third property, valued at R520 000, was sold to a fellow employee who was allegedly aware of the moratorium,” said Col Nkosi.
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The Hawks further uncovered evidence suggesting that the signature of the Municipal Manager was forged to facilitate the transactions.
Despite the alleged irregularities, the property sales reportedly followed all administrative processes and were successfully registered with the Deeds Office, resulting in title deeds being issued to the purchasers.
It is was further revealed that the proceeds from the transactions were used for the administration officer’s personal enrichment. The second employee was arrested for allegedly acting as an accomplice, having knowledge of the moratorium and the unlawful transactions.
The case was postponed to June 5, 2026.
