Durban - An undisclosed ailment affecting Mbuso Ngcobo, the State witness in the Zandile Gumede fraud and corruption trial, has seen him booked off until next Wednesday, prompting the State to consider its next move in ensuring the continuation of the trial.
As court proceedings were set to start at 10am on Thursday, it emerged that the matter had been set for the afternoon before being adjourned.
Ngcobo, head of the City Investigations Integrity Unit in eThekwini Municipality, has been on the witness stand since last week, giving an account of how an anonymous tipoff on alleged corruption led to a full scale investigation on a Durban Solid Waste (DSW) contract.
The investigation, the court further learnt, had been conducted internally, but threats to one of the leading investigators led to her resignation from the unit, and prompted the involvement of forensic investigations company Integrity Forensic Solutions and the Hawks.
Gumede and her co-accused, who include former Durban city manager Sipho Nzuza, former exco member Mondli Mthembu, Robert Abbu, who was DSW deputy head, and Sandile Ngcobo, the former deputy head of supply chain management, among others, face several charges – including conspiracy to commit corruption, corruption, fraud, money laundering, racketeering, contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act and contravention of the Municipal Systems Act – amounting to over R300 million.
The State alleges that eThekwini officials, including the former city manager and ex-mayor, circumvented the supply chain management processes on a DSW tender for the benefit of identified service providers.
The state witness, who has been under cross-examination from Gumede’s attorney, advocate Jay Naidoo, has been accused of running a unit that does not account to anyone at the municipality, including council, the highest decision-making body.
The defence has argued that Ngcobo’s team refused to give account to the Municipal Public Accounts Committee.
Ngcobo, however, defended the decision of not appearing before the committee.