JOHANNESBURG, May 14 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede appeared in the Durban Specialized Commercial Court on Tuesday, facing a raft of charges related to a Durban Solid Waste tender.
Gumede and councilor Mondli Mthembu are alleged to have colluded to corruptly award tenders of 208 million rand (about 14.6 million U.S.dollars) to their preferred companies.
EThekwini municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said the municipality has noted the charges of fraud and corruption and the municipality abides by the legal principle of innocent until proven otherwise.
He pointed out that the arrest of council officials will not affect service delivery.
The mayor and the councilor were granted bail each following their brief appearance at court.
