Emfuleni ‘ghost fleet’ accused Mpho Malema awaits bail judgment
Mpho Malema is awaiting bail judgment in the Emfuleni fleet case, where the State alleges R16 million was lost. Municipal records show payments of R34.7 million for 19 vehicles, although the municipality disputes that the full amount is missing.
Seven individuals have been granted R20,000 bail each by the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court for their alleged involvement in a R10 million electricity fraud scheme at the Emfuleni Local Municipality. According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, the accused must adhere to several bail conditions. They are required to attend all court appearances, reside at the addresses they provided, and report to the Vanderbijlpark Police Station twice weekly, specifically on Mondays and Fridays between 6 am and 6 pm.
Additionally, they are prohibited from leaving South Africa and must surrender their passports. Mahanjana emphasized that the accused are not allowed to tamper with the case, including applying for new travel documents or interfering with witnesses or the ongoing investigation. The seven accused individuals, including David Seneekal, Caroline Maduna, Kenneth Mahobe, Hlawutelo Baloyi, Pule Masilo, Andries Maduna, and Sibusiso Tshabalala, face charges such as fraud, theft related to electricity worth approximately R9.9 million, an extra R150,000 fraud and theft charge, money laundering, and tampering with essential infrastructure.
The alleged scheme operated from February 2024 to June 2026, targeting residents and businesses with overdue accounts that had been disconnected. The accused reportedly approached these individuals, promising to reconnect their electricity supply for payment. Municipal records were allegedly manipulated to conceal the actual debt amounts, although the balances reappeared as the illicit connections remained active.
The matter came to light when affected customers reported it to the municipality, which subsequently referred the case to the police. The seven were arrested on August 21, 2026. The state had initially opposed their bail, but the court decided that releasing them would be in the best interest of justice. The case has been set to be heard again on September 18, 2026, when the court will decide on bail for the eighth accused, Janitha van Reenen Coetzee.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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