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Zandile Gumede. Gallo images
- Former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede may return to the legislature and party programs.
- The ANC PEC in KZN gave him the green light.
- The PEC’s decision comes after the provincial integrity commission acquitted her.
Former eThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede received the green light from the ANC KwaZulu-Natal provincial executive committee (PEC) to return to the legislature and party programs, spokesman Nhlankanipo Ntombela told News24 on Tuesday.
This after it was cleared by the integrity commission.
“Yes, it is true. The decision was made by the PEC after the discussions on Monday,” he confirmed.
Gumede was asked to be absent in August amid the Durban solid waste tender fraud case, which implicated her and her co-defendant in corruption worth R430 million, News24 reported.
At the time Gumede took leave, he had just been sworn in as a member of the provincial legislature (MPL) in KZN and held a position on the political party’s regional task force.
The corruption case, which is still pending, was heard in court on December 10, where it was postponed once again to finalize a key forensic audit report.
Gumede is currently on bail of R50,000.
READ: Zandile Gumede’s Corruption Affair Postponed Again
When asked about the motivation behind PEC’s decision, Ntombela said that the integrity commission’s report, among other things, found that Gumede had spoken sincerely. In addition, he added, the National Prosecutor’s Office (NPA) has yet to finalize the corruption case against him.
“A year has passed and the NPA has not finalized the case. We cannot predict what the NPA’s job will be and how they will handle the case, that is a matter that is out of our control,” Ntombela said.
More to follow.
