No appeal for councillor

The application for leave to appeal of a disgraced Nelson Mandela Bay councillor, convicted of fraud and money laundering and jailed for five years, was dismissed in the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court yesterday.

Bongo Nombiba, 43, was found guilty of fraud and money laundering in March and sentenced to an effective five years behind bars.

Nombiba’s new legal council, Advocate Vuyisile Calaza, said he would now begin a process to petition the judge president of the Eastern Cape High Court in Grahamstown for leave to appeal.

The former ward 20 councillor was found guilty of pocketing R20 000 of monies donated for a non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Thulamangwane Community Project, which cares for elderly people and cleans schools in the community.

In 2014, the NGO’s secretary Zukiswa Mbhem, deputy chairperson Mandisa Monco and other members asked Nombiba to request a donation of R10 000 from the municipality. He instructed them to put the request in writing but not to mention the amount they were requesting.

In September 2014, a “request for donation” was signed by the secretary and the deputy chairperson without citing an amount. Nombiba then motivated for a donation of R30 000 from the metro. In November 2014, R30 000 was paid to the NGO. Nombiba then requested the NGO’s management to accompany him to their bank where he took R20 000 of it. – ANA