Knysna in turmoil as former mayor’s arrest deepens crisis - Daily Maverick

The arrest of Knysna’s former mayor, acting municipal manager and acting CFO over alleged corruption linked to a security contract comes amid a bitter leadership battle, three killings and an SIU investigation into the municipality’s R68-million security tender.

The arrests on Thursday, 1 October, of former Knysna mayor Thando Matika, acting Municipal Manager Boy Manqoba Ngubo and acting CFO Busisiwe Lubelwana have plunged the municipality deeper into an already bitter political and governance crisis before the November local government elections.

The trio were arrested by members of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) in connection with an investigation into alleged corruption involving a municipal security services contract.

On Thursday, national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed the arrests, saying the three faced charges of corruption stemming from an investigation into alleged kickbacks linked to a municipal security services contract.

“The arrests follow information received by the police regarding allegations that a businessman who had been awarded a security services contract was being solicited for kickbacks in exchange for the continuation of the contract.

“It’s alleged that the businessman had already paid hundreds of thousands of rand out of fear that his security services contract would be terminated,” she added.

The accused are all facing charges of corruption and are due in court on Monday, 5 October 2026.

A coalition has governed the Knysna Municipal Council since August 2022, when a successful motion of no confidence ousted the previous DA-led coalition.

The current coalition comprises the ANC, EFF, Patriotic Alliance (PA), Knysna Independent Movement (KIM) and Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners (PBI).

Knysna has also been without an elected mayor since 18 September, when the ANC removed Matika from the position after he was listed as a candidate for the South African Communist Party (SACP). Matika has, however, disputed his removal, saying he remains the duly elected mayor.

The DA has seized on the arrests to renew its criticism of Knysna’s governance, procurement processes and management of public funds.

On Friday, DA Knysna mayoral candidate Levael Davis said the party was ready to end what he described as a “shameful era of corruption, chaos and decay” in the municipality.

“We have consistently sought greater scrutiny and accountability to stop corruption and maladministration, whether by blocking illegal cadre deployments or tough probing that exposed wrongdoing.

“After three years of DA investigations, there is now proof that our fight within the council was about the people of Knysna, and not politics,” he said.

Davis also pointed to the Western Cape government’s previous proposal to invoke a Section 139 intervention – a constitutional mechanism that allows the province to intervene when a municipality fails to fulfil its executive obligations – saying the decision should now be reconsidered in light of the arrests.

The arrests, he said, were only the beginning of an accountability process involving money belonging to Knysna residents.

“Accountability cannot end with arrests, and if legal proceedings establish that municipal funds were unlawfully lost, every available mechanism must be used to recover our people’s money,” Davis said.

He said residents had endured coalition instability, declining basic services and repeated governance and financial crises, arguing that money allegedly diverted from the municipality could otherwise have been spent on water infrastructure, sewerage, roads, refuse removal, the Knysna Estuary crisis and job creation.

The DA called for both the criminal investigation and the Special Investigating Unit probe into the security tender to be pursued to their conclusion, saying accountability should apply irrespective of political affiliation or position.

The arrests came after weeks of mounting tension in Knysna, marked by three killings, the SIU investigation and a deepening political dispute over the mayor’s position.

The most chilling development came in August, when former mayor and serving ANC councillor Aubrey Tsengwa was shot dead on the 19th. Less than 24 hours later, former councillor Mandla Matiwane and local taxi forum secretary Mandla Tyololo were also shot dead.

It was just 12 days before Tsengwa’s killing that President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the SIU investigation into the R68-million municipal security tender. The probe covers alleged procurement irregularities, improper conduct and possible financial losses.

Meanwhile, the ANC-SACP rupture before the November local government elections opened another political fault line in Knysna.

Matika and other ANC councillors became caught up in the dispute after being listed as SACP candidates. The ANC subsequently notified the municipality that Matika was no longer an ANC member and asked that his councillor position be declared vacant.

Matika disputed this, maintaining that he remained a councillor and the duly elected executive mayor. The dispute came to a head at a council meeting on 30 September, when Speaker Mark Willemse ordered him to leave the chamber.

His removal has since contributed to the leadership vacuum, with a special council meeting to elect his replacement failing to reach a quorum.

The arrests triggered sharply contrasting political responses, with the GOOD Party framing the allegations as a test of municipal accountability, while the SACP cautioned against political interference and said the criminal process must establish the facts.

On Friday, 2 October, Rosa Louw, GOOD’s Garden Route District councillor and mayoral candidate, said the arrests of the former mayor, acting municipal manager and chief financial officer over alleged corruption raised serious questions about the handling of public money.

“The accused are entitled to due process, and the allegations must now be tested in court. But allegations of this nature strike directly at the trust residents place in local government,” she said.

Louw linked the allegations to the broader consequences of corruption in local government, arguing that money lost through corrupt dealings was money diverted from communities and essential services.

“Knysna deserves better than a municipality making headlines for all the wrong reasons. It deserves leadership that understands that public office is about serving people, not serving yourself,” she said.

The SACP adopted a more cautious position. Western Cape Provincial Secretary Benson Ngqentsu said the party would issue a fuller statement once it had gathered and verified more information.

He called for law enforcement and judicial processes to proceed without interference, irrespective of the political affiliations of those implicated.

“We also hope that the latest developments in Knysna, including the arrests announced on Thursday, 1 October 2026, are not driven by palace politics, political manoeuvring, backstabbing or attempts to tarnish the image and reputation of anyone affected,” he said.

The SACP reaffirmed its opposition to corruption and support for accountability, while stressing the constitutional presumption of innocence.

The arrests have sharpened the political contest before the 4 November local government elections, with parties offering competing views of what is at stake for Knysna.

GOOD says voters have an opportunity to respond to what it describes as corruption, abuse of public office and failed leadership.

“The people of Knysna will have their say on the future of their municipality. Knysna needs to be saved from corruption, from the abuse of public office and from politics that has failed its people,” the party said.

The DA similarly frames the election as a choice over the municipality’s future, arguing that smaller parties risk keeping the ANC in power and saying only a DA-led government can restore accountable governance.

“The DA has dedicated years to exposing problems, investigating wrongdoing and applying pressure in Council,” the party said, arguing that Knysna could not survive another five years of what it called a “coalition of chaos”. DM