Arrest order for councillor

A warrant of arrest has been issued for ANC Nelson Mandela Bay councillor Bongo Nombiba who was convicted of fraud and money laundering earlier this year.

He has been sentenced to five years in prison but had until the close of business on Friday to submit his papers petitioning the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) for leave to appeal but failed to do so.

Leave to appeal his conviction and sentence was dismissed by the Grahamstown High Court last month and his bail was extended pending his petition to the SCA.

The 43-year-old Ward 20 councillor was found guilty of pocketing R20 000 in donation money meant for a nongovernmental organisation, Thulamangwane Community Project.

In 2014, its secretary, deputy chairperson, and other members approached Nombiba to request a donation of R10 000 from the municipality.

He instructed the project members to put their request into writing but not to mention the amount that they had requested. During September 2014, a “request for donation” was signed and no amount was mentioned.

Nombiba then sent a request for financial assistance to the municipality and motivated a donation of R30 000. During November 2014, R30 000 was paid into the bank account of the project. He conveyed to them that the metro approved the donation and requested them to accompany him to the bank where he pocketed R20 000 of the money.