Gift registry and declaration of interests under spotlight in Zandile Gumede corruption trial

The trial in which former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede and 21 others are charged with racketeering, fraud, corruption and money-laundering resumed on Monday and the marathon matter has been set down to run for about another four weeks this session.

After that, it will be adjourned to May and then later in the year.

The media is still barred from naming witnesses who are municipal employees.

On Monday, judge Sharmaine Balton heard the evidence of a senior official who was in charge of the unit which collated the gift registry and disclosure of interests by municipal employees.

The witness said these matters were governed by the Municipal Systems Act and the supply chain management policy.

Employees were expected to disclose all gifts. If they were valued under R350, they were entitled to accept them. If they were valued more than that, authorisation had to be obtained from the employee's supervisor.

Each employee was required to disclose his or her financial interests, including shares, properties, assets, trusts and directorships.

Referring to the gift register, the witness said former municipal manager Sipho Nzuza (accused No 3) had only made three declarations — one was for “wine” valued at R80 and another was a computer bag valued at R2,000. A “Morocco study trip” was reflected as costing R1 which, the witness said, was not a true reflection, but a computer-generated default when no value had been stated.

Robert Abbu, former head of special projects, only declared a USB speaker worth R100, and Sandile Ngcobo, who remains a senior municipal official, declared nothing.

Later, another witness went through personal interest disclosures made by Gumede and the other councillors on trial with her. Most had ticked “nil” in every box.

However, the admissibility of these records hangs in the balance and other witnesses will have to be called to verify them.

While no context has been placed on the evidence, it is believed the state will attempt to show the records are inconsistent with what some of the accused received and/or owned.

Gumede, as accused No 1, is alleged to be the kingpin of the racketeering “enterprise” which included senior officials and ANC councillors who allegedly manipulated a R320m Durban solid waste removal contract, awarding it to four companies.

It is alleged this was done to promote radical economic transformation (RET) and to give kickbacks to a “patronage network” which included community-based contractors, business forums and the Umkhonto we Sizwe Veterans Association aligned to the RET faction in the ANC.

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