The Hawks are busy raiding Newcastle Municipality. According to municipal sources, they are seizing documents and electronic devices. The raid has been confirmed by senior Hawks officials as well.

National spokesperson for the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo, confirmed this morning (March 25) that the Hawks are currently involved in a raid at Newcastle Local Municipality.

Municipal sources who spoke to the Northern Natal News, under condition of anonymity, said the Hawks arrived at the municipal building yesterday morning while senior staff and members of council were attending a strategic planning meeting at Grey Goose, a conference venue just outside of town.

Police seal off all exits

According to our source, police closed off the exits to the building before heading to the Department of Supply Chain Management, where they seized documentation pertaining to specific tenders they are investigating.

Electronic devices, including cellphones and laptops of senior managers, were also seized, including those belonging to the municipal manager, Zamani Mcineka; the chief financial officer, Zanele Kubheka; the Strategic Executive Director (SED) of Technical Services, Bongokuhle Mnguni; and the SED of Planning & Human Settlements, Ntsiki Khathide.

Staff on the run?

It is alleged by municipal staff that the Director of Supply Chain, Amos Mdladla, ‘disappeared’ after the Hawks arrived, seemingly to evade police interrogation. However, this is mere speculation and has not been confirmed through official sources.

No comment was received from the municipality at the time of publishing.

Mbambo said she could not comment as to the specific reason for the raid, as the investigations are at a very sensitive stage. She assured the Northern Natal News that a full report will be released after the investigations are finalised. “All I can say at this stage is that it’s part of an ongoing investigation of the Newcastle Municipality,” she said.

Corrupt officials must be brought to book

Commenting on behalf of the local branch of AfriForum, Ferdie Alberts said it’s about time corrupt officials are brought to book.

“We just hope accountability will come to the fore,” said Alberts. “They (the Hawks) have started at the right place, but I feel they should foreclose on the cellphone of the mayor as well, as senior officials generally take instructions from the political leadership of the municipality. We also hope the process will not be drawn out for the next 10 years.” Newcastle Municipality is IFP-run in coalition with the DA, Team Sugar, ActionSA, Patriotic Alliance NFP, ATM and the Freedom Front Plus.

Raid inevitable

Chairperson of the Newcastle & District Residents Forum (NDRF), Matthew Shunmugam, said the raid was inevitable.

“It was a long time coming,” said Shunmugam. “There’s always been talk of the alleged fraudulent activities of the Newcastle Municipality. How does the council justify hosting such elaborate events when the town itself is crumbling? Those involved in corruption are smiling all the way to the bank, while service delivery is lacking.”

Since founding the NDRF, Shunmugam has written several letters to the Human Rights Commission, the Auditor-General, the Department of Co-operative Governance & Traditional Affairs, and to the Provincial and National Treasury regarding his concerns about the ‘dubious goings-on’ at the municipality.

“In some cases, we received a positive response. However, in others, sadly, it seems we are banging our heads against a brick wall, particularly where the KZN provincial departments are concerned.”

Most recently, Shunmugam exposed the fact that the Municipal Public Accounts Committee recommended that the council write off R100-million in irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure without conducting any investigations or consequence management.

Red flag

“That was yet another red flag for us as ratepayers,” said Shunmugam, who is calling for the new council (that takes over following the 2026/2027 local government elections) to conduct an extensive forensic investigation as its first call of business.

The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and follow us on our WhatsApp Channel