A 42-year-old Administration Officer and his 54-year-old colleague, both employed by the City of Mbombela, are expected to appear before the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court today, Tuesday, 02 June 2026.
The two employees were arrested by the Hawks’ Nelspruit-based Serious Corruption Investigation for their alleged involvement in the unlawful sale and purchase of municipal properties.
According to preliminary investigations, the City Council had imposed a moratorium in 2023 prohibiting the sale of municipal properties.
The Administration Officer, who allegedly had in-depth knowledge of the municipality’s property sales processes, is accused of transferring a house valued at R540 000 to his uncle, a person living with a disability, without his knowledge or consent. The property was later found to be under the control of the Administration Officer.
He allegedly further benefited from the sale of another property valued at R442 000, which was sold to an unsuspecting police official.
Investigations also revealed that a third property, valued at R520 000, was sold to a fellow employee who was allegedly aware of the moratorium.
The Hawks further uncovered evidence suggesting that the signature of the Municipal Manager was forged to facilitate the transactions.
Despite the alleged irregularities, the property sales reportedly followed all administrative processes and were successfully registered with the Deeds Office, resulting in title deeds being issued to the purchasers.
It is alleged that the proceeds from the transactions were used for the administration officer’s personal enrichment. The second employee was arrested for allegedly acting as an accomplice, having knowledge of the moratorium and the unlawful transactions.
The Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation welcomed the arrests and warned public servants against abusing their positions of authority for personal gain.