Five eThekwini Municipality employees have been suspended following their involvement in the alleged misuse of municipal resources.
According to a statement issued by the municipality recently, the employees were caught using municipal equipment to lay asphalt tar at a private residence on Jabu Ndlovu Drive in Verulam, north of Durban.
The suspects allegedly used a municipal truck to transport and lay asphalt tar at the residence. They were spotted and subsequently reported to the City Integrity and Investigations Unit’s Forensic Investigating Team on 17 February 2025.
One of the suspects, a supervisory driver, was arrested, while the other four men fled the scene. The supervisory driver appeared at the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on 18 February 2025, where he was granted bail.
The remaining four employees who fled the scene have since been suspended.
Head of the City Integrity and Investigations Unit, Jimmy Ngcobo, commended the whistleblower who reported the incident, stressing the importance of standing up against fraud and corruption.
“We will not tolerate this behaviour in the workplace. From the reports received, these employees have been visiting this household frequently to lay asphalt tar,” said Ngcobo.
Ngcobo also emphasised the municipality’s zero-tolerance stance on fraud, corruption, and violations of human rights.
“Ignoring work principles will destroy the operation of the municipality. Stealing is done deliberately, and they knew what they were doing is against the law. Such employees do not deserve to be working for the municipality,” Ngcobo said.
The incident follows the arrest of six municipal employees in November 2024, who were caught stealing asphalt tar in Inanda, north of Durban.
The employees were caught transporting the asphalt tar without a valid job card to justify its movement. These six employees remain suspended.
Ngcobo warned that employees who disregard workplace rules and policies will face severe consequences.
He also reiterated that managers and supervisors must enforce control systems to combat fraud and corruption effectively.
“Let us work together to protect the image and reputation of the municipality by rooting out fraud and corruption whenever it rears its ugly head,” he said.
To report fraud or corruption, please contact the City Integrity and Investigations Unit at 0800 20 20 20 or 031 311 4002, or email: ombuds@durban.gov.za – SAnews.gov.za
Watch a Five eThekwini employees suspended for alleged misuse of municipal resources related video:
Stunning South Africa:
MyPR.co.za offers free to publish press releases for your news site, blog or offline publication. Use the handy REPUBLISH facility or the Full Text RSS Feeds or just copy and paste.
Straton Electrical | Straton Solar | Straton Prepaid | Straton Plumbing | Straton IoT | Straton eBikes | BA Systems | Mbane Contracting | Reach Trust
What is Fraud? “Fraud” is any activity that relies on deception in order to achieve a gain. Fraud becomes a crime when it is a “knowing misrepresentation of the truth or concealment of a material fact to induce another to act to his or her detriment” (Black’s Law Dictionary). In other words, if you lie in order to deprive a person or organization of their money or property, you’re committing fraud.