New Durban Metro Police recruits at their graduation. The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) has demanded detailed reports from the eThekwini Municipality on a string of controversial issues, including alleged City Manager scandal, the Namibia 8 Housing Project and Metro Police recruitment fraud allegations.
Image: ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY
The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) has intensified pressure on the eThekwini Municipality after formally requesting a series of detailed reports on allegations of maladministration, irregular expenditure and governance failures ahead of a parliamentary oversight hearing.
In a letter dated May 13 2026 and addressed to eThekwini Executive Mayor Cyril Xaba, SCOPA chairperson Songezo Zibi outlined a wide-ranging list of matters the committee wants the municipality to account for.
Among the issues flagged by Parliament is the controversial Namibia 8 Housing Project, with the committee demanding a detailed update on developments surrounding the project and any consequence management processes undertaken.
SCOPA also requested a comprehensive report on the municipality’s long-running sanitation project dating back to 2019. The committee wants details on the bidding process, appointed service providers, project delays, outstanding payments to contractors, dispute resolution mechanisms and the total cost of the project.
The committee further requested information relating to the employment of the municipality’s chief financial officer’s wife, including positions she has occupied, committees she has served on and the appointment processes followed.
Parliament’s SCOPA committee has demanded answers from eThekwini Municipality on allegations ranging from Metro Police recruitment fraud and R60m wasteful expenditure to sanitation project delays and misconduct allegations involving senior officials. The letter addressed to the Mayor Cyril Xaba has been given the City until 2pm today to reply to SCOPA.
Image: Independent Newspapers Archives
Another major issue raised in the letter relates to sexual misconduct allegations against the City Manager by the Deputy City Manager. SCOPA requested details on how the allegations were handled, the law firm appointed to investigate the matter, the costs incurred by the municipality and who authorised the appointment and payment of the legal firm.
Parliament has also demanded a report on the municipality’s top 10 water tanker service providers, including ownership details and payments made to the companies over the past five years.
The committee additionally wants a breakdown of the R60 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred during the 2024/25 financial year, including payment details, interest charges and any disciplinary action taken.
SCOPA also turned its attention to allegations of fraud in the recruitment of Metro Police officers. The committee requested information on investigations into the claims as well as measures put in place to ensure transparency during the recruitment process.
Other information requested by Parliament includes:
A breakdown of all funded and vacant municipal posts;
Cases referred to the CCMA or Labour Court during the last financial year;
Labour relations matters involving suspensions and disciplinary hearings.
The municipality has been instructed to submit all requested information to Parliament by 2pm on Monday, May 18 2026, to allow the committee to prepare for the hearing.SCOPA said the information was necessary to enable “proper oversight and consideration of the matter”.
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