By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@MalusiBooi.
A former City of Cape Town mayoral committee member, Malusi Booi has been arrested in connection with a fraud and corruption tender case.
Fullview learnt Booi is among those who were detained in a crackdown targeting criminality linked to City’s human settlements directorate.
In total eight suspects have been arrested in connection with fraud and corruption within the human settlements directorate.
The arrest dates back to March 2023, when investigators descended on the municipality’s offices and seized items.
At the time, Booi’s office that was raided by the Hawks and he was suspended. He was axed a week after his suspension, before later resigning as a Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor.
Western Cape police spokesperson Novela Potelwa, without providing the names of those detained, said in a statement that a 46-year-old suspect was arrested when police officers, including from the Commercial Crimes and Anti-Gang units, “swooped on a location in the Eastern Cape” on Monday evening.
Potelwa said the arrest of the 46-year-old suspect was “part of a protracted investigation into alleged fraudulent and corrupt activities at the City of Cape Town’s human settlements directorate”.
Three other suspects were arrested in Johannesburg and another four in Cape Town on Tuesday.
“All four suspects arrested outside of Cape Town are currently being brought to Cape Town where they are expected to join other suspects and appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s court on Wednesday on charges that relate to money laundering, racketeering, corruption and extortion fraud,” said Potelwa.
The scandal linked to the City of Cape Town has so far involved the murder of a staffer at a housing project, allegations of tenders being tweaked to suit certain companies, as well as dismissals and suspensions.