Noxolo Nqwazi during a previous appearance in the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crime Court. Her corruption trial is expected to resume in 2024.
- The suspended Nelson Mandela Bay city manager made her first appearance in the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Tuesday following her suspension.
- The fraud and corruption trial against Noxolo Nqwazi will most likely continue next year.
- Nqwazi was suspended during an emergency council meeting two weeks ago as per Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s recommendation.
The fraud and corruption trial of suspended Nelson Mandela Bay city manager Noxolo Nqwazi will, in all likelihood, only resume next year, the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Gqeberha said.
Nqwazi was temporarily suspended from her municipal post during an emergency council meeting two weeks ago.
She briefly appeared in court on Tuesday following her suspension.
Her lawyer, Alwyn Griebenow, confirmed that the case would be provisionally postponed for the state and the defence to ensure that all documents are in order before the continuation of the trial.
“The state will make sure that the defence receives all the documents we need and that nothing is outstanding,” Griebenow said after the court adjourned.
“The trial will continue in April next year.”
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There have been several delays since the start of the trial in September due to outstanding documents the state did not provide to the defence on time.
The defence berated state prosecutor Leigh-Anne Pillay-Selahle for not having her ducks in a row.
Another delay arose when the defence submitted an application for Magistrate Vusiwe Mnyani to recuse herself for allegedly being biased against the defence and lenient towards the state.
Mnyani dismissed the application early last month.
The charges against Nqwazi and her 11 co-accused stem from their alleged involvement in a toilet tender worth more than R24 million that was fraudulently awarded by the municipality a few years ago.
Nelson Mandela Bay city manager Noxolo Nqwazi and her lawyer Alwyn Griebenow.
Her co-accused are three former DA councillors Trevor Louw, Victor Manyathi and Neville Higgins; businessman Xolani Masela and his wife, Nwabisa Masela and her mother Nonpumezo Ngotsha; director of HT Pelatona Projects Morné van der Linde; former ANC regional secretary in the metro Luyolo Nqakula; and former acting executive director of human settlements Mvuleni Mapu.
Ngotsha and Van der Linde also face charges on behalf of their companies, Thuthiko Logistics and HT Pelatona Projects.
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Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana highlighted Nqwazi’s removal from the municipality as one of the conditions to disburse more than R700 million in equitable share grant funding owed to the municipality since July.
Godongwana said if the City failed to provide, among other things, a council resolution to take disciplinary action against Nqwazi, he would take steps including withholding the next equitable share grant or approaching the provincial executive council to intervene.
Nqwazi was placed on precautionary suspension on 20 October.
The trial was provisionally postponed to 27 November.
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