‘I’ve helped these people’ – Gwamanda denies fraud allegations, calls case political

Gwamanda

Cape Town – Former Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda has warned those he believes are behind the fraud allegations against him, claiming that the charges are politically motivated.

Gwamanda is accused of defrauding Soweto residents through a funeral policy scheme run by his entity, iThemba Lama Afrika, between 2011 and 2012.

He turned himself in to authorities in October after criminal complaints were filed.

Ahead of his court appearance in Soweto on Tuesday, Gwamanda criticised missing documents in the case, including the charge sheet.

“In my previous interview, I had alluded to the fact that there were several missing documents from the icitial docket. One of the documents missing is a charge sheet.  So  I am said to be allegedly standing before court for fraud, but there is no charge sheet that indicates the fact that I am charged for that.

“So  we are here today to gather all the missing documents because we’ve requested them through our attorneys and they have not been furnished till today. So we are here to find out excatly what the process of the day will be,”

He also dismissed former Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse’s public accusations and defended his actions, saying that several complainants had benefited from the funeral scheme.

“Dr Mpho Phalatse has got an imagination of what may have transpired during the time when Ithemba was in effect.

“I don’t remember at any point she being close to the community, she being a witness to whatever may have transpired. But according to her, I know she called me several names on TV, including a criminal.

“However, the reason why I have subjected myself before law enforcement and the court is so that a process can unfold that would ultimately determine what exactly is these charges that are being laid against me,” said Gwamanda.

Gwamanda suggested that the case was part of a larger effort to discredit him politically, given his rapid rise from a township background to mayor.

He expressed his “shock” upon seeing the witness list, stating that he had previously helped several individuals named on it.

“It is people that were part of the business at the time. What I have noticed is that several of them have actually benefitted through funerals, either for neighbours, for their family members or for someone closely related to them. Several of the people that are on that particular witness list, and there is proof to that effect,” he said.

“So I was shocked to find that out. These are people from my community that I worked with. These are people that I assisted when they could not do things for themselves.”

The case was postponed to 25 February for further legal proceedings.

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