“Be careful… Watch where you go, because you have touched somebody who is untouchable.”

The Hawks detective investigating uThukela Municipal Manager Langelihle Jili (46) for corruption, testified last week that this was the warning he received in an anonymous phone call after he arrested Jili.

Warrant Officer Nkosinathi Dlamini, a detective in the KZN Serious Corruption Investigation Unit, cautioned that Jili and his co-accused, Bongumenzi Dlamini (26), are ‘dangerous men’.

During the bail hearing of Jili and Bongumenzi on October 27, WO Dlamini testified that it was not only his life that was threatened, but the lives of other members of the investigating team and that of the complainant in the case as well.

Threats

“After Jili’s arrest, the complainant (Wiseman Mhlanga) observed that he was being followed by a suspicious Toyota Hilux with no registration plates as he was driving home. Mhlanga further reported that he had received threatening phone calls from people telling him to, ‘…be careful, look after yourself and get out of Ladysmith’,” said WO Dlamini.

WO Dlamini further disclosed that, while waiting to testify in the witness waiting area, he was approached by a man who claimed to know him.

“I asked the man who he is and what he wants. He was taking pictures and said he is an attorney. I told him the attorneys are supposed to be inside the court, not standing outside, and he fled. It shows that the two men we arrested are dangerous men,” he explained, adding that this is why members of the Public Order Policing (POP) Unit had arrived in court during the court proceedings that day.

Asked by defence attorney, Advocate Paul Jorgensen, if he had any ‘factual evidence’ that either Jili or Bongumenzi put the man up to threatening him, WO Dlamini conceded that he did not.

“Jili asked another member of the investigating team, ‘If it was you in my shoes, what would you do to someone who was doing this to you?’” WO Dlamini added.

Details of the corruption charges against Jili and Bongumenzi came to light during the bail hearing in the Durban Magistrate’s Court this week. Jili was arrested in Ladysmith on October 21, while Bongumenzi was arrested in the offices of the Commercial Crimes Unit in Durban the next day. Both men made their first court appearance on Friday, October 23. They intend to plead ‘not guilty’ to the charges against them.

State prosecutor, Advocate Joel Kisten, opposed the bail application of Jili and Bongumenzi in the Durban Magistrate’s Court this week, confirming that the charges fall within the confines of a schedule 5 offence and that the trial will be heard in the Regional Court.

According to Kisten, Mhlanga provides security services to uThukela District Municipality pursuant to being awarded a security tender. Mhlanga was owed roughly R1.5 million, a combined payment for three invoices issued to the municipality, for services rendered.

In a statement Mhlanga made to police, he complained that his repeated requests for payment were ignored by Jili until July when Jili asked to meet at the offices of uThukela District Municipality. According to Mhlanga, during their meeting, Jili demanded an amount of R400,000 to conditionally release the payment of R1.5 million.

Mhlanga alleged that Jili then offered to authorise further payments of R750,000 each (another R1.5 milion) for two other outstanding invoices if Mhlanga paid him another R150,000 (R75,000 per invoice).

Another meeting took place between Mhlanga and Jili in September in the Durban North area, where Mhlanga says that Jili once again demanded payment (R550,000 in total). Jili told Mhlanga that payments for the remainder of his contract with the municipality (nine months) would only be authorised by the municipality if he paid R75,000 for each of those invoices.

Mhlanga then reported to the Department of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) on October 16, which made an application under Section 252A of the Criminal Procedures Act to conduct an undercover trap operation.

“Mhlanga did not agree with Jili, so he reported the matter to the Hawks,” confirmed WO Dlamini. “We obtained a statement from Mhlanga on October 17. After our application to conduct a trap operation was approved, our team went to Ladysmith on Monday, October 19. However, Jili was not available on that day, nor was he available the next day.”

Platrand Lodge

The operation took place on October 21 at a restaurant located at Platrand Lodge in Ladysmith. Jili rents two properties at Platrand Lodge, one for himself and one for his bodyguards.

WO Dlamini testified that on the morning of October 21, Jili contacted Mhlanga and asked to meet at the municipal offices, saying that Mhlanga should bring the R550,000 with him in cash for the payment to be released.

Mhlanga went to the municipal offices with Warrant Officer Mnguni (an undercover member of the investigating team). However, when they got there, Jili’s secretary informed Mhlanga that Jili had left to Colenso, where there was a community protest taking place over an ongoing disruption to water supply.

“At about 17:30 that afternoon, Jili phoned Mhlanga and asked Mhlanga to meet him at his residence, sending him a location pin for the restaurant at Platrand Lodge. Our team went to the restaurant before the meeting took place to find the best place for Mhlanga, Mnguni and Jili to be seated so that we could hear and observe the interaction,” said WO Dlamini.

Jili arrived at the restaurant just after 19:00. Upon his arrival, Jili phoned Mhlanga, who raised his hand to show Jili where he was seated. WO Dlamini observed that Jili looked around before taking his seat. It appeared as if he was first checking to see who was seated around them.

“Jili asked Mnguni to leave so that he and Mhlanga could speak in private. After she left, Jili wrote down on a piece of paper a total amount of R1.225 million (R400,000 + R75,000 X 2 + R75,000 X 9). Jili told Mhlanga that if he failed to pay that amount, he would not get his money. He then stood up and left the restaurant, saying to Mhlanga, ‘The money must meet me in the car’,” recalled WO Dlamini.

Kisten informed the presiding magistrate, Garth Davis, that there was then an exchange of R100,000 between Mhlanga and Jili in authorised trap money outside the restaurant.

“After Jili took possession of the money, the investigating team started moving towards him. Jili reversed his vehicle into the driveway and sped off. He fled the scene and the team followed in pursuit. When we arrived at his home, Jili’s car was parked outside,” said WO Dlamini.

Jili was arrested at his residence and the R100,000 in trap money was recovered in his vehicle.

Caught with the cash

After Jili was arrested, he was taken to Ladysmith police station for processing. While outside the police station, in the parking lot, it is alleged that Jili offered to pay an amount of R600,000 to the officers who had arrested him in order to have the charge ‘eliminated’.

The police brought this to the attention of the DPCI and obtained authority to conduct a second trap operation.

Asked by Kisten to explain what happened outside Ladysmith police station, WO Dlamini, said Jili asked ‘to talk’.

“Jili did not want to go into Ladysmith SAPS, saying he is well-known and a respected member of society. We figured that he was up to something, so we made an application for a second trap operation to be conducted based on the success of the first operation, and it was authorised,” said WO Dlamini.

“Jili asked to make some phone calls to gather the money. He called about four people to raise an amount of R600,000. He had a conversation with a woman named Magugu while the phone was on loudspeaker. Jili asked Magugu if she had R600,000 on hand. She replied that she had the money in her bank account. Jili then asked us to provide him with banking details, but this money was not paid into a bank account.”

Instead, Jili was then transported to Durban to be processed at the Durban Commercial Crimes branch.

“When we arrived in Durban, Jili asked us to park along Umhlanga Drive at a bus stop. He made a phone call, asking someone to bring the money. He sent our live location to that person,” said WO Dlamini.

Upset by this, WO Dlamini said that the team reprimanded Jili for sending a live location while they were on the road, asking of Jili, “Do you want us to be killed?”

 Feeling unsafe parked alongside the road, they decided to proceed to the offices of the Commercial Crimes Unit.

Blue Checkers cooler bag filled with cash

“Jili’s nephew, Bongumenzi Dlamini, brought the money to our offices. It was contained in a blue Checkers cooler bag, which he handed to Jili, saying, ‘Here is the money, father.’ Jili opened the cooler bag. Inside was a plastic bag from Courier Guy with the money in R20,000 batches. Jili counted the money before handing it over to us. He complained that we were delaying him. He had paid the money and he wanted to go free,” said WO Dlamini. “We then arrested Bongumenzi Dlamini as well.”

During his cross-examination of WO Dlamini, Jorgensen alluded that the Hawks should have submitted a third application to conduct a trap operation when they became aware that someone was bringing the R600,000 in cash to the offices of the Commercial Crimes Unit. However, WO Dlamini insisted that the second application was still active.

The relationship between Jili and Bongumenzi, a Durban-based Uber driver, is still unclear at this stage. WO Dlamini testified that Bongumenzi referred to Jili as ‘father’ in the presence of Hawks members.

In the statements they made to the police, Jili and Bongumenzi indicated that Bongumenzi is Jili’s nephew. However, Jorgensen stated in the bail proceedings that Jili and Bongumenzi are not family.

WO Dlamini said he discovered, during his investigation, that Bongumenzi is a recipient of certain tenders awarded by uThukela District Municipality.

He added that he had approached Home Affairs to clarify if and how the men are related.

As the accounting officer at uThukela District Municipality, Jili earns a gross monthly salary of R96,000. WO Dlamini disclosed during Jili’s bail hearing that Jili owns 15 vehicles that are registered in his name, including several taxis.

“It appears that he bought these vehicles cash and I suspect that he may own more vehicles that were registered in the names of other people,” said WO Dlamini.

WO Dlamini further discovered that Jili is a member of Masengwayo Trust and owns five properties that are registered in his name – two located in Richards Bay, one in Durban North, one in Melmoth and one in Eshowe.

According to WO Dlamini, a statement contained in the docket indicates that only two of the five properties registered in Jili’s name are bonded.

Jili pays R13,000 a month for the two properties he rents at Platrand Lodge and makes the payments in cash. “If Jili doesn’t deliver the cash to the property owner himself, he sends his bodyguards,” said WO Dlamini.

Jili in hospital

The day after Jili and Bongumenzi made their first appearance in court (October 24), WO Dlamini was contacted by the SAPS supervisor at Durban Central police station, who informed him that Jili was being examined by a doctor in an ambulance. Jili was then taken to St Augustine’s Hospital, where he was admitted.

WO Dlamini visited the hospital to determine what was wrong with Jili.

“When I arrived at the hospital, the doctor was not available at the ward, but the nursing staff complained that he was a troublesome patient,” he said. “When I visited him in hospital yesterday, Jili told me he wanted to go back to work.”

Jili was discharged from hospital on October 27 to attend his bail application and asked to be returned to hospital after the day’s proceedings were concluded.

Jorgensen provided Davis with a letter compiled by a physician, indicating that Jili had been diagnosed with two medical conditions.

The bail hearing continues today (October 29).

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