The arrest of a Thulamela councillor last week by the Hawks on bribery charges has caused an uncomfortable situation and led to the removal of an ANC candidate from the list for the upcoming local government elections.
Netshivhumbe “Gogome” Gumani (44) was arrested on Thursday, 18 June, in a joint entrapment operation involving the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and South African Police Service units. The specialised teams included the Mmabatho-based Serious Corruption Investigation team, the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit, and the Mahikeng Tactical Response Team from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks).
It is alleged he attempted to bribe an SIU investigator with R70,000 to derail a corruption probe into the Mahikeng Local Municipality in North West.
Gumani, who hails from Tshikhudini outside Thohoyandou, served as a proportional representative (PR) councillor for the ANC in the Thulamela Municipality. He was co-opted into the position three years ago when another ANC councillor was deployed to the Vhembe District Municipality.
Based on pre-election posters circulating on social media, Gumani was the ANC candidate for Ward 23 in Thulamela and was preparing to contest the 4 November local government elections.
The SIU is investigating allegations of maladministration and corruption at the Mahikeng municipality. The probe centres on two tenders awarded by the municipality: a lease agreement dated 15 December 2015 and a full maintenance lease agreement dated 23 February 2016. According to the SIU, forensic analysis uncovered suspicious financial flows from the municipality’s service provider to unrelated companies and individuals.
In a statement, the SIU said Gumani had first approached one investigator on the case, who refused the offer outright. He then allegedly approached a senior investigator, offering R70,000 to “close one eye” and ignore evidence gathered in the investigation. On Wednesday, 17 June, during a meeting in Mahikeng, he allegedly handed over R10,000 in cash as a first instalment of the bribe.
The SIU said Gumani also approached a third official from its head office the previous weekend.
After being alerted, SAPS and the Hawks authorised an entrapment operation. Gumani was arrested immediately after handing over the cash, which was seized and counted in the presence of law enforcement officers.
He appeared in the Molopo Magistrate’s Court in Mahikeng. The case was postponed to 29 June for a bail application.
In a statement, the SIU said the arrest sent “a strong deterrent message” that corruption would not be tolerated and that anyone attempting to corrupt its investigators would face “the full might of the law.”
ANC Vhembe regional secretary, Mr Matodzi Ralushai, said that upon learning of Gumani’s arrest, the organisation resolved to remove him from the list of councillor candidates.
“We have adopted the step-aside rule, which requires members facing criminal charges to step aside until their cases have been finalised. His branch, Raluswielo Branch, will rerun the entire candidate selection process over the weekend.
“Incidents of this nature tarnish the image of the organisation, and we strongly oppose such conduct. If you are charged, you must go to court and clear your name,” he said.