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Former mayor Zandile Gumede faces charges of fraud, corruption and organized crime linked to a waste collection tender worth R430 million.
Former eThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede (opposite right) and some of her co-defendants appear in the Durban Commercial Crimes Court in their corruption case on December 10, 2020. Image: Nkosikhona Duma / EWN
KWAZULU-NATAL – Supporters of former mayor Zandile Gumede said Thursday they were concerned that delays in the corruption case against her would hurt her chances of being re-elected as president of the African National Congress (ANC) in the eThekwini region.
Gumede faces fraud, corruption and extortion charges related to a waste collection tender for an amount of R430 million.
She appeared in the Durban Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday, where the matter was postponed to March next year following a request from the state.
Judge Dawn Somaroo granted an adjournment in the case against Gumede and her 17 co-defendants on the condition that the State make a full discovery to the defense at the next court hearing.
This meant that the State will present the accusations, its forensic report and all the annexes related to the matter; otherwise, the case could be canceled.
Gumede’s supporters said that while they were happy that there appeared to be progress in the case, they were concerned about the political consequences for her.
Spokesperson Mzomuhle Dube said: “The extensions that are requested are meaningless because they have nothing on the table. So ultimately what are you going to do? It will help other political issues, which will favor certain political rivals. “
At the same time, Dube said that despite Gumede’s legal and political challenges, he still had a high probability of becoming ANC leader at eThekwini again.
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