The municipal manager of uThukela District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal allegedly offered Hawks investigators R600,000 to avoid prosecution after being arrested for allegedly accepting a R100,000 bribe from a service provider.
Langelihle Jili, 46, and his co-accused, Bongumenzi Dlamini, 26, appeared before the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Friday, 23 October 2026, facing corruption charges. Both were remanded in custody, with their case postponed to 27 October for a bail application.
According to the Hawks, Jili was arrested on Wednesday, 21 October, following an undercover operation by the Durban Serious Corruption Investigation unit.
The investigation began after a service provider reported that Jili had allegedly demanded a bribe in exchange for processing payment for services already rendered to the municipality.
Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo said Jili was arrested after allegedly receiving R100,000 from the complainant.
R600,000 allegedly arranged for delivery to Hawks offices
During the arrest, Jili allegedly offered investigating officers a further R600,000 and arranged for the cash to be delivered to the Hawks’ offices in Durban.
Dlamini was subsequently arrested when he allegedly arrived with the money.
The R600,000 was seized and retained as evidence. According to the Hawks, the money will be referred to the Asset Forfeiture Investigation unit for further handling.
The alleged attempt to bribe the investigators resulted in both men facing corruption charges.
Hawks praise investigators
KwaZulu-Natal acting Hawks provincial head Brigadier Zenobia Mulligan welcomed the arrests and commended the investigating officers.
She said the operation demonstrated cooperation between the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation and the National Prosecuting Authority in the province.
Mulligan added that investigators had demonstrated their integrity by charging the accused over the alleged offer of a bribe.
The case is scheduled to return to the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Tuesday, 27 October, for a bail application.
Both accused remain in custody pending further court proceedings. The allegations have not yet been tested in court.
