Knysna ex-mayor and two officials arrested in security kickback probe

The Political Killings Task Team took former mayor Thando Matika, acting municipal manager Boy Manqoba Ngubo and acting chief financial officer Busisiwe Lubelwana into custody, IOL reported. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the three face corruption charges and are due in court on Monday, 5 October.

“The arrests follow information received by the police regarding allegations that a businessman who had been awarded a security services contract was being solicited for kickbacks in exchange for the continuation of the contract,” Mathe said. “It is alleged that the businessman had already paid hundreds of thousands of rands out of fear that his security services contract would be terminated.”

Police have not named the contractor, the contract, or the sum paid. The Knysna-Plett Herald, citing police, placed the arrests at a municipality on the southern Cape coast and published a photograph of task-team members outside the Knysna municipal building. Knysna Municipality confirmed on social media that two senior officials and a former councillor were taken into custody on Thursday afternoon for questioning. “The Municipality has no further information or comment at this time,” the post said, Algoa FM reported.

The arrests landed in the last weeks of the council term, and a day after Matika refused to leave the chamber.

The ANC removed him as mayor and councillor on 18 September, after he and the ward 7 councillor were named as South African Communist Party candidates for the 4 November local government elections. Deputy mayor Morton Gericke has been acting mayor since the removal.

On Wednesday, the council’s last ordinary meeting of the term, Matika and the ward 7 councillor took seats at the table. Councillor Susan Campbell said Matika maintained he was still a councillor and still mayor. Speaker Mark Willemse called for law enforcement to remove him. The meeting collapsed without a quorum at 11:41am, with nine councillors present.

SACP Western Cape provincial secretary Benson Ngqentsu told IOL the party would issue a full statement once it had verified the facts. He said the party hoped the arrests were “not driven by palace politics, political manoeuvring, backstabbing or attempts to tarnish the image and reputation of anyone affected.” The party remained committed to the fight against corruption, he said, and to the rule that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. ANC Western Cape spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said the party would respond once it had more information.

Matika became mayor in March 2025 after the council removed Aubrey Tsengwa in a motion of no confidence backed by the ANC’s coalition partner, the Economic Freedom Fighters. Tsengwa was shot dead on 19 August. Former ward 7 councillor Mandla Matiwane and taxi leader Mandla Tyololo were shot dead the next night. Ngubo later confirmed extra security and safe houses for councillors.

The security contract was already under separate scrutiny. In August, President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the Special Investigating Unit to investigate alleged maladministration and irregular expenditure at Knysna, including tender T25 of 2023/24 for physical security services, The Herald reported. The proclamation covers alleged misconduct from 8 December 2017 to 7 August 2026. Police have not said Thursday’s arrests arise from that probe.

The task team was set up to investigate political killings. It has since taken cases in which political office and procurement overlap. None of the three has been convicted. They have not yet pleaded.