Shoot Bobby, Motaung protesters shout

2012-08-16 10:30

Bobby Motaung

Sizwe sama Yende, City Press

Mbombela - Protesters, dressed in ANC T-shirts, chanted “Dubula u Bobby” (Shoot Bobby) outside the Nelspruit Regional Court, where Kaizer Chiefs manager Bobby Motaung was appearing on charges of fraud.

Motaung and his partners in Lefika Emerging Equity, Chris Grib and Herbert Theledi, were arrested by the Hawks on Wednesday for allegedly forging tax certificates to win a multimillion-rand Mbombela Stadium design tender.

On Thursday morning, outside court, protesters were chanting anti-Motaung slogans.

A big photo of the late Mbombela municipality speaker, Jimmy Mohlala, was carried by one of the protesters.

‘Who killed Jimmy?’

Mohlala was assassinated in January 2009 after he allegedly blew the whistle on corruption related to the Mbombela Stadium deal. He was about to lay criminal charges when he was killed.

Mohlala’s assassins are yet to be found after the charges against five accused in the case were withdrawn in January.

“Who killed Jimmy?” read another poster outside court.

Inside court the magistrate was discussing whether to allow photographers in the courtroom with legal representatives for the accused.

City Press was reliably informed last week that three warrants of arrest were issued by the Nelspruit Regional Court on August 7.

Former municipal manager Jacob Dladla was found guilty in an internal disciplinary hearing and dismissed in March 2009.

However, the ANC’s Ehlanzeni region instructed its councillors to take a council resolution to clear Dladla of all the charges and pay him R1.5m.

The municipality said the resolution was taken to avoid incurring about R13m in legal fees because Dladla had approached the Labour Court to have his dismissal overturned.

Former mayor Justice Ntsibande was axed due to the friction that was caused by the tender.

- City Press

- City Press