By Sihle Mavuso
An eThekwini Municipality employee who was not involved in the recruitment process allegedly scammed 71 people out of R420 000 by promising them jobs in the Durban Metro Police, city officials said on Wednesday.
The allegations emerged during a high-stakes press conference by eThekwini City Manager Musa Mbhele and Durban Metro Police head Sibonelo Mchunu, following claims circulating on social media that senior officials had pocketed R20 million in bribes to recruit people into the metro police.
Mchunu said the employee was working away from the recruitment process but appeared to have obtained inside information that enabled him to target prospective applicants.
The employee, who was not named, had been employed by the municipality in 2025 and was working at Albert Park in central Durban when he allegedly began soliciting money from people seeking jobs.
“We had 71 complainants that said we have paid money and we paid so and so, and that statement together with the bank records that this money was paid… that’s how we got the information,” Mchunu said.
Mbhele said investigators had traced the R420 000 through several bank accounts, including those held with FNB and Capitec, with the largest amount deposited into a Capitec account.
Mbhele denied allegations that metro police officers had received R20 million in bribes, saying the findings of an investigation had been deliberately distorted.
He said two reports, compiled by Nexus Nexus and Isiqu Forensic Investigators, found that R420 000 could be traced and that the amount alone was sufficient to warrant action.
Four officials from different departments have been subjected to consequence management, with one having taken early retirement.
Mbhele stressed that the official’s retirement did not prevent criminal action if warranted.
“To show that we have not buried the report as alleged, we have opened a criminal case at the Durban Central Police Station to have the implicated people criminally charged,” he said.
Mbhele said the officials named in the reports had been flagged for various issues, not necessarily for allegedly selling jobs.
“All those people that are mentioned there in that report, some of them are being flagged for things other than selling jobs. They are recommending actions against four officials from different departments… who were flagged for failing to submit the required affidavits to the investigators. It is not for selling jobs and, as a result of the process of consequence management, one manager has taken an early retirement,” he said.
The city manager said the municipality would continue to pursue the matter despite the employee’s alleged use of personal bank accounts to receive payments.
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