Between 2017 and 2018, the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality's Durban Solid Waste (DSW) unit awarded outsourced waste collection contracts worth approximately R320 million under fraudulent circumstances. The Hawks' investigation established that the tender process was manipulated from the top.
THE SCHEME: Mayor Zandile Gumede allegedly directed that specific companies should receive the waste collection contracts. Bid specifications were tailored to favour pre-determined bidders. Members of the Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC) were co-opted or pressured to rate favoured bidders highly. Intermediaries facilitated a kickback pipeline — Gumede personally accused of receiving R2,881,350 in kickbacks. Some winning bidders lacked genuine waste management capacity, leading to subcontracting that inflated costs and degraded service delivery.
ARREST AND REMOVAL: On 14 May 2019, Gumede was arrested by the Hawks at her Durban home. Charged with fraud, corruption, racketeering (POCA), money laundering, and contravention of the MFMA and Municipal Systems Act. She was released on R50,000 bail. The ANC KZN provincial executive eventually recalled her, and she was replaced as mayor by Mxolisi Kaunda on 23 August 2019.
ANC'S SOFT LANDING: Rather than expelling or disciplining Gumede, the ANC placed her on the KZN proportional representation list — she became an MPL, continuing to receive a government salary while facing criminal charges. Her RET faction allies framed the prosecution as political targeting.
THE TRIAL (2022-2026): The case commenced in Durban High Court in October 2022 with 22 accused including former city manager Sipho Nzuza. The trial has been severely plagued by delays. In March 2025, emails presented in court showed how the tender racked up extra costs through deliberate manipulation. Key witness testimony began in November 2025 and is continuing into 2026. In January 2026, a docket dispute erupted when some accused applied to force the state to hand over the full investigation docket, threatening further delays.
IMPACT ON DURBAN: Waste collection services deteriorated in parts of Durban as unqualified contractors failed to deliver. Illegal dumping increased in affected communities. The devastating April 2022 KZN floods further strained eThekwini's already weakened waste management capacity.