Durban — EThekwini Municipality has denied that it ever instructed Amadelangokubona Business Forum to guard its assets during the July 2021 riots.
This comes after it surfaced that Amadelangokubona Business Forum former president Bhamuza Mnyandu claimed the municipality owed him R5 million for providing its assets and infrastructure with security during the July 2021 unrest.
The municipality, in a statement, said one of the forum members approached it, requesting to be compensated for efforts it had put in to guard some city buildings.
The municipality, however, categorically denied knowledge of this, adding that a meeting had been scheduled to clarify the matters.
When the Daily News asked the municipality who the “scheduled” meeting was supposed to be between, it declined to give clarity.
Mnyandu said that during the riots, he and his partners belonging to the organisation Amadelangokubona, foiled an elaborate plot to bomb the Durban City Hall, reservoirs, transport infrastructure and other key assets.
He said the rioters were given a mandate to bring the city to its knees.
Mnyandu added that he came to the rescue because he knew that they survived on doing tenders and projects with eThekwini.
He questioned if he had let that happen, where they would have found their next source of income.
Mnyandu further claimed that he had recruited his men and contacts from hostels, taxi associations around Durban and business forums to protect the city’s assets. “No one was on the sites; they were vulnerable and empty,” he claimed.
“We risked our lives while the municipality leaders and officials were sleeping cosily in their homes. We soldiered on because we were hoping for what we would get after our hard work.”
Amadelangokubona, a group of “tenderpreneurs” who have organised themselves into a forum that demands a 30% share from contractors working for government and private companies in Durban, has become known for its notorious shutting down of construction projects undertaken by the government.
Reports state that it was at a meeting facilitated by the ANC where the city allegedly caved in to party pressure to pay the group R5m out of municipal funds to protect key installations.
Mnyandu said at around 11pm on July 10, 2021, he received a call from a person identifying himself as one of those who were paid to destroy eThekwini metro infrastructure.
“The person asked me if they destroy those areas, would they be touching our territory as they know we are doing various projects with the municipality,” Mnyandu said.
When the city refused to pay, saying there was no such deal, Mnyandu said he asked ANC leaders to intervene.
It is reported that the ANC leaders then summoned top eThekwini metro officials to a meeting held at the ANC provincial offices, Pixley Ka Isaka Seme House in the Durban CBD, to discuss settling the dispute.
Mnyandu further claimed that the ANC leaders instructed top municipal officials, including city manager Musa Mbhele, to make the payment.
ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo this week confirmed meeting Mnyandu once. He said he referred Mnyandu to ANC eThekwini regional secretary Musa Nciki, who facilitated a meeting between Mnyandu and city officials.
“Because Mnyandu solicited the intervention of the ANC, I then directed the regional secretary to facilitate the meeting, which took place with the city manager included. That was the end of the ANC role. What happened to his claims would be better known and responded to by the city itself,” said Mtolo.
Mtolo said the ANC had no relationship with Amadelangokubona.
KZN ANC spokesperson Mafika Mndebele said as the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal they had no relationship with Amadelangokubona, referring the Daily News to contact the City for comment.
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