SEDIBENG – The Gauteng premier’s office has been asked to urgently intervene following confirmation that the police investigation into the disappearance of the Sedibeng District Municipality’s mayoral chain, reportedly worth R465 000, has been closed.
According to an online report by Sowetan published on August 6, the police investigation was closed on July 25, after the deputy public prosecutor declined to prosecute.
No arrests have been made and the chain, missing since June 2023, remains unaccounted for.
Democratic Alliance MPL Kingsol Chabalala has since written to premier Panyaza Lesufi, raising serious concerns about transparency and potential political interference. Chabalala noted that the chain disappeared shortly after the 2023 State of the District Address, but that a case of theft was only opened nearly five months later, in November. He described the delay and the case’s abrupt closure as “disturbing” and called for an “independent investigation” to determine what really happened.
“It is disturbing to learn that the SAPS has closed a case relating to the missing mayoral chain without citing the reasons and informing the municipal manager,” Chabalala told Ster North. “We suspect that there might be political interference leading to the closure.”
In a bid to clarify the reasons behind the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) decision not to prosecute, Ster North has also written to the NPA, requesting comment on the grounds for declining to proceed with the case and whether the matter could be revisited if new evidence surfaces.
The Sedibeng mayoral chain saga has sparked public outrage since it was first reported that the valuable ceremonial item had vanished under unclear circumstances.
The NPA has been asked to respond by August 12.