First witness set to be called in Gumede DSW trial

First witness set to be called in Gumede DSW trial

The State's expected to call its first witnesses to testify on Tuesday at the Durban Solid Waste tender corruption trial in Durban. 

zandile gumede
Nushera Soodyal

Former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede, ex-senior city officials and businesses are facing over 2 700 charges of fraud, corruption, and racketeering linked to a R320 million tender. 


The State is expected to call it's first witnesses to testify in the matter on Tuesday.


State prosecutor Hazel Siramen, in her opening address on Monday, indicated that some witnesses that will be called up are councillors.


Siramen said they will testify on how Gumede and former councillor Mondli Mthembu informed them that the DSW tender was in the process of being renewed and would benefit the city's councillors.


The State said the witnesses will speak on how Gumede allegedly informed councillors that the time for Radical Economic Transformation had arrived in eThekwini.


READ: Gumede corruption trial kicks off in Durban High Court


Councillors were allegedly told that four contractors were going to be appointed for the new DSW contract and that community-based sub-contractors would be appointed.


The State says the witnesses will testify that they were instructed to go back to their wards and source the sub-contractors.


Councillors were allegedly told that they could benefit from the payments to the sub-contractors.


It's alleged that they were told the sub-contractors should be appointed for the benefit of the structures of the ANC.


Sub-contractors that were members of the ANC allegedly had to be aligned to a certain faction of the governing party.

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