JDA boss Mathibe on bail as money-laundering case set for June

A south African Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) head and acting Johannesburg Social Housing Company (JOSHCO) CEO Themba Mathibe has been granted R50,000 bail on a money-laundering charge, with the case postponed to 2 June as police continue an investigation they say could still expand to include additional arrests as reported by News24.

Mathibe was arrested on Monday after police say he was found in possession of a substantial amount of cash at his home. While police did not confirm the exact figure, News24 reported it had been reliably informed the amount was around R2 million.

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the arrest followed an extensive investigation into allegations of procurement irregularities linked to the City’s social housing company. She said the arrest was carried out by the police Cold Case Unit and Special Task Force, and that investigators acted on a J51 search-and-seizure warrant, raiding both Mathibe’s home and offices.

JOSHCO confirmed that police conducted a raid at its headquarters and that some employees were questioned. The organisation said it respected the rule of law and the presumption of innocence, and indicated its board would consider the way forward once any allegations were formally confirmed through the relevant legal and governance channels.

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The case lands in a sensitive part of city governance: JOSHCO is mandated to help address Johannesburg’s housing backlog and is solely owned by the City of Johannesburg, with thousands of rental units under management, according to sector body NASHO.  The JDA, meanwhile, is the City’s development agency responsible for implementing regeneration and infrastructure programmes, and its executive listings identify Mathibe as CEO.

For now, the court timetable is clear, while the investigative picture remains open: police say they are still pursuing the procurement probe and have not ruled out more arrests ahead of the June appearance.