False claims of an arrest tied to Emfuleni’s deepening R16 million “ghost fleet” scandal have ignited a political firestorm, with Executive Mayor Sipho Radebe condemning what he describes as a coordinated smear campaign against MMC for Finance Hassan Mako.
The controversy follows one of the municipality’s most explosive scandals, where millions of rand were allegedly spent on vehicles that were never delivered, cannot be traced, or became unusable. The crisis has been further overshadowed by the killing of municipal accountant Martha Mani Rantsofu, who was gunned down near a police station in Vanderbijlpark in March.
As speculation spread online, Radebe moved swiftly to shut down viral claims that Mako had been arrested in connection with the fleet matter.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Executive Mayor categorically states that Councillor Hassan Mako has not been arrested, nor is he, to the best of the Mayor’s knowledge and based on available information, a suspect or person of interest in relation to the forensic investigation concerning the fleet management matter.”
The mayor confirmed he had personally engaged Mako, who denied any involvement, while warning of a deliberate disinformation campaign aimed at misleading the public.
“These allegations are entirely false, baseless, and devoid of any factual or legal foundation,” he said.
But as the municipality attempts to contain the fallout, Mako has broken his silence, and his response points to...
*This content was translated by AI. Professional basketball team Busan KCC has filed a criminal complaint against two officials from Daegu Korea Gas Corporation on charges of defamation. On the 24t...