Alan Beesley ActionSA Member of Parliament
By Alan Beesley
ActionSA Member of Parliament
ActionSA has today laid criminal charges against the Municipal Manager of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, Mr Musa Mbhele, for deliberately misleading Parliament during proceedings before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA).
The charges relate to statements made by Mr Mbhele during a SCOPA meeting on 20 May 2026 concerning SIU Proclamation No. R. 9 of 2021 (attached), which authorised the SIU to investigate allegations of corruption, fraud, maladministration and unlawful conduct within the eThekwini municipality.
During the meeting, Mr Mbhele claimed that he had not seen the final SIU report, that the Municipality had not received it, that the investigation had not been finalised, that no blacklisting or administrative action had been recommended, and that only two disciplinary referrals had been made in an earlier version.
ActionSA believes these statements were false and intentionally misleading in an apparent attempt to evade accountability.
The final SIU report has long been in the public domain.
The Presidency has confirmed in writing that the report and recommendations were sent to the Municipal Manager in August 2023, while municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana publicly acknowledged the Municipality’s engagement with the report.
The report itself confirms that the investigation had been finalised, that four disciplinary referrals were made to the Municipality, and that eleven matters were referred for administrative action, including blacklisting.
Section 17(2)(e) of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act criminalises the furnishing of false or misleading information before Parliament or its committees, with penalties of up to three years’ imprisonment.
What is deeply concerning is that the fraud and corruption identified by this SIU investigation is continuing unabated, largely due to the recommendations made by the SIU to the eThekwini Municipality not being implemented.
ActionSA maintains a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and will continue pursuing accountability wherever public officials attempt to mislead Parliament and the people of South Africa.
Tshwane Talks readers have been able to read stories in this publication for free for over two years now. We still want our readers to access our stories for free, but we are asking those among our readers who can afford it to contribute at least R30 a month to cover some of the costs of publishing this independent, non-aligned online newspaper which gives a voice to all sectors of society irrespective of race, colour, creed, religion, or political affiliation. You may make your contribution by depositing at least R30 a month into Tshwane Talks' bank account. Details are as follows:
Bank Details
Bank: Standard Bank
Account Number: 10225548834
Account Type: Cheque Account