KWAZULU-NATAL – On 28 May 2021, the Durban Specialised Commercial Court sentenced Rosemary Zebani Mabi (49) to five years direct imprisonment for 22 counts of fraud.

Mabi who was a Deputy Chief Financial Officer at the NDZ Municipality in Creighton colluded with the Municipal Financial Clerk from July to November 2013 to transfer fictitious payments to suppliers who had not conducted any work for her personal gain. The municipality suffered a total loss of R1 010 000.

She was arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team in September 2018 and was convicted after several court appearances.

In a separate matter, on 27 May 2021 two councillors aged 46 and 61 were summoned to appear at the Vryheid Magistrates’ Court on 28 June 2021 for alleged charges of corruption.

It is alleged that in 2018, the councillors bribed the member of a rival political party so that she could not participate in the voting so that their political party would be in charge of the Abaqulusi Municipality. The incident was reported to the police. In October 2020, the matter was struck off the court roll for further investigation.

The docket was sent back to the Director of Public Prosecutions who have reinstated the charges against the duo after a thorough investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team in Vryheid.

Source: South African Police Service