The Hawks have arrested former Madlanganei mayor Lindile Mhlungu (42) and Musawenkosi Thwala on charges of fraud, corruption and violating the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).
It is said that on 10 July 2019, Mhlungu introduced the businessman to make presentations on the construction of a mall in Utrecht.
He is accused of ordering the municipal manager to hire the businessman, which happened without following proper procedures.
“After a few minutes, the service provider sent an invoice for R2 014 250.00 to the municipality. A purchase order was made and payment was made. No work was done and the matter was reported to the Hawks for investigation,” said Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo, spokesperson for the KZN Hawks.
The suspects were arrested yesterday and appeared briefly in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court and were released on bail. Mhlungu was released on R10 000 bail and Thwala was released on R2000 bail. The case has been postponed to 1 September 2026 and police say others are still to be arrested.
