Knysna Municipality officials arrested over security contract corruption

Two senior officials and a former councillor from the Knysna Municipality have been arrested by the South African Police Service (SAPS) Political Killings Task Team in connection with a corruption investigation. The arrests follow allegations of kickbacks involving a municipal security services contract.

According to police, a businessman awarded the contract was allegedly solicited for hundreds of thousands of rand in exchange for the contract's continuation. The accused are expected to appear in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 5 October.

In response to the arrests, Dr. Richard Martin, the Director of Strategic Services and Integrated Human Settlements, has been appointed as acting municipal manager for a 10-day period. He is also expected to appoint an acting chief financial officer to maintain financial administration. During a special council meeting, Speaker Mark Willemse described the municipality as being in a state of “institutional disarray.”