By Duncan Mnisi
Mpumalanga – A six-year-old scandal involving alleged price-fixing and the misappropriation of municipal funds has resurfaced, culminating in the arrest of a senior official from Mkhondo Local Municipality.
The Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit in Middelburg yesterday arrested Sydney Masango (46), the municipality’s Senior Manager for Public Safety. His alleged accomplice, Gugulethu Zulu (48), was detained at a filling station in Piet Retief. The arrests follow an investigation into a fraudulent scheme linked to the municipality’s 2019 road maintenance operations.
The saga began when the municipality’s road marker machine was damaged in 2019. Masango, tasked with coordinating repairs, arranged for a service provider to restore the equipment at a cost of just R718.20. However, investigators discovered that Masango and Zulu allegedly conspired to inflate the invoice.
Evidence shows that Zulu, a company director and supervisor at a local firm, submitted an invoice of R85,875.00 through his business, Legent 12. The municipality paid the amount into the company’s account, despite the repair costs being grossly exaggerated—or entirely fabricated.
Law enforcement later uncovered links between Masango and Zulu, pointing to a deliberate scheme to divert public funds.
Both suspects appeared before the Mkhondo District Court, where they were granted R4,000 bail each. Their case has been postponed to October 6, 2025, at the Regional Court.
Brigadier Bruce Davenport, Acting Provincial Head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, praised the investigation, warning: “The Hawks will always seek, find, and strike at the right time.”
Authorities have pledged to pursue even long-dormant cases of corruption. For residents, the case serves as yet another reminder of the urgent need for accountability in local government.
