Nkandla mayor’s guards arrested

TWO of the Nkandla Municipality mayor’s bodyguards were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly being in possession of illegal firearms.

Police spokeswoman Nqobile Gwala confirmed that two men, aged 26 and 28, were arrested in the Vumanhlamvu area for possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

“The suspects were found in possession of two 9mm pistols, each with 15 live rounds of ammunition,” said Gwala.

But mayor Thami Ntuli, chairman of the IFP’s uThungulu region, said he believed there was a political motive behind the arrests.

Ntuli said the arrests were as a result of an administration breach. “The municipality procured the services of a company which then bought the guns for them,” he said.

Motive

“I gather that the guns belonged to people who are now deceased and have never been officially transferred to the company. This was a breach of the service level agreement and will be dealt with administratively.”

He alleged there was an ulterior motive for the arrests. “I have heard that the police received pressure from ‘above’ to make these arrests. This could be political. If there was a problem, I should have been the first one to know. Secondly, the arrest of my bodyguards is unfair because the guns are not theirs but belong to the company,” he said.

Ntuli said his bodyguards being unavailable “opens up for threats to my life”.

KZN ANC secretary Super Zuma said his party would not be drawn into a debate on a criminal matter. “Criminal activities are just criminal activity. The police should be left to do their work.”

The men are due in the Nkandla Magistrate’s Court today.