Lindile Mhlungu, the former mayor of eMadlangeni local municipality anchored in the rural town of Utrecht, northwestern corner of KwaZulu-Natal appeared briefly at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday.

Mhlungu, 42, appeared together with Musawenkosi Thwala, 52,  an accomplice and former municipal manager for allegedly siphoning off more than R 2m worth of municipal funds. The funds were allegedly disguised under a shopping mall feasibility study which never materialised. The duo faces charges of corruption, fraud and contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act. The Durban Serious Corruption Unit under the Hawks swooped on the duo on Tuesday morning.

It is alleged that on 10 July 2019 Mhlungu, using her position as the municipality’s political principal,  introduced a service provider to conduct the presentation of a feasibility study for the development of a mall in Utrecht. Despite the feasibility study not seeing the light of day, the municipality however forked out in excess of R2m paying the service provider for the work.

“She allegedly instructed the former municipal manager to appoint the said service provider. The municipal manager allegedly complied with her instruction and proper Supply Chain Management processes were not followed. A few weeks later the service provider in question submitted an invoice of R2 014 250.00 to Emadlangeni Municipality for payment. A purchase order was allegedly created and the service provider was paid. However, it is alleged that no work was done and the matter was reported to the Hawks for thorough investigation,” stated KZN Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo.

Mhlongo further said that more arrests were expected to be effected. Mhlungu was granted R10 000 bail while Thwala was granted R2 000 bail.

The case was postponed to 1 September 2026.

Meanwhile, Zimisele Biyela, one of the locals who blew the whistle on the alleged grand-scale corruption and a former proportional representative councillor told the Mail \& Guardian on Wednesday that the arrests of Mhlungu and Thwala were only a tip of the iceberg.

“The residents and some councilors both at local and district level have been vocal about this brazen corruption. We are glad that finally justice is beginning to be done. But, it is our belief that there are more people involved here,” he said.

He pointed out that rural municipalities were a haven for corrupt elements who believed locals were naive and would not question authorities.

“This was a deliberate attempt by rogue politicians and their business friends who abused their electoral mandate to steal from the poor. Their deeds must not go unpunished,” Biyela asserted.

EMadlangeni is one of the smallest municipalities in the province and falls under the Amajuba district municipality. It has a population of about 36 000 people and an annual budget of R155m.