An altercation between EFF members and two of the accused in the multimillion-rand toilet tender fraud case overshadowed proceedings in the Gqeberha commercial crime court on Tuesday as the trial was once again met with a series of delays.
The Hawks are investigating a case of fraud after Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Gary van Niekerk enlisted the services of legal firm Boqwana Burns Incorporated (BBI) in 2022 while his position as councillor was up in the air.
The National Treasury is set to release a R591m equitable share owed to the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, but failure to comply with finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s latest demands could lead to the provincial government being asked to intervene and the possible dissolution of the council.
Though he was not the speaker of the Nelson Mandela Bay council for five months in 2022, National Alliance president Gary van Niekerk used the official letterhead and signatory of the office to appoint a law firm and rack up R551,586 worth of legal bills.
Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Gary van Niekerk has accused his predecessor, DA councillor Retief Odendaal, of protecting a senior city official implicated by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) in alleged fraud and corruption.