Cops hunt speaker’s killer

Mystery surrounds how an Eastern Cape municipality council speaker was murdered last month days after she had called for a probe into municipality grants and alleged controversial contracts.

Thozama Njobe was the speaker of the Raymond Mhlaba Local municipality, formed from the amalgamation of Nkonkobe and Nxuba local municipalities.

Njobe was shot and killed on July 18 at the time the Hawks were investigating allegations of fraud and corruption at the municipality.

Sources within the police elite team told the Saturday Dispatch that at the time of her death they were investigating allegations of fraud in the municipality.

A police source told the Dispatch that Njobe’s death would not derail their investigation.

“We are dealing with documents which were signed by individuals and we will follow tracks.

“But it must be clear that her death won’t stop us, and if her death has got something to do with the investigations, we will definitely work on that,” the source said.

Hawks national spokesman, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi confirmed the investigations.

“There is a fraud and possible corruption investigation ongoing and as you are aware, we cannot get into details.”

Sources within the municipality said Njobe had been fighting against fraud and corruption and was not supporting projects that appeared to have been “influenced” (dodgy).

Njobe was also key in making sure that national Treasury’s investigation report on four Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) projects in Nkonkobe local municipality was followed up.

The preliminary review report was released in October last year.

The four projects investigated, worth R16-million, were incomplete although the total allocated funds were transferred to the municipality.

The confidential report, which Saturday Dispatch has seen, reveals that the former Nkonkobe council was interfering with the implementation of the municipality’s capital projects.

The projects were:

• High-mast lights in Hillside and Newtown valued at R4-million;
• A chicken abattoir in Middledrift valued at R3.50-million;
• Paving of Gugulethu access road valued at R5.2-million; and;
• Paving of Gqumashe access road valued at R3.4-million.

Two suspects – Mziyanda Ketani, 29, and Sindiso Wece, 30 – have since been arrested in connection with Njobe’s murder.

In their last court appearance, they abandoned their bail application and are expected back in the Fort Beaufort Magistrate’s Court on September 18. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za / malibongwed@dispatch.co.za