Political Turmoil Erupts Over Alleged False Arrests in Emfuleni ‘Ghost Fleet’ Scandal

False Arrest Claims Deepen Emfuleni’s R16 Million “Ghost Fleet” Scandal

A fierce political battle has erupted in Emfuleni Local Municipality after false claims spread online that Finance MMC Hassan Mako had been arrested in connection with the municipality’s growing R16 million “ghost fleet” scandal.

Executive Mayor Sipho Radebe issued a firm denial on Wednesday, condemning what he described as a coordinated smear campaign targeting Mako amid one of the municipality’s most explosive corruption investigations in recent years.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Executive Mayor categorically states that Councillor Hassan Mako has not been arrested, nor is he, to the best of the Mayor’s knowledge and based on available information, a suspect or person of interest in relation to the forensic investigation concerning the fleet management matter,” Radebe said in a statement.

The controversy centers on allegations that millions of rand were spent on municipal vehicles that either were never delivered, cannot be traced, or quickly became unusable. The scandal has shaken public confidence in the already troubled Gauteng municipality, which has faced ongoing service delivery challenges and financial management issues.

Adding to the complexity of the case, municipal accountant Martha Mani Rantsofu, who worked in the finance department, was gunned down near a police station in Vanderbijlpark in March. While speculation has swirled about potential connections between her killing and the fleet investigation, authorities have cautioned against drawing premature conclusions.

Mako has now broken his silence on the false arrest claims, revealing that he has engaged legal counsel to address what he describes as malicious misinformation.

“I have already engaged my attorney to technically take down those that have been spreading malicious lies about my name,” Mako told reporters. He stopped short of identifying specific individuals but suggested the claims stemmed from political rivals within municipal structures.

“I do know that it just comes from my own political detractors,” he said, indicating that cybercrime processes would be used to trace those behind the social media posts.

The “ghost fleet” investigation represents one of the most significant financial scandals to hit Emfuleni in recent years. The municipality has confirmed that criminal proceedings have been initiated, with documentation already handed to the National Prosecuting Authority. Internal disciplinary processes are simultaneously underway against municipal officials and service providers implicated in the procurement irregularities.

Municipal governance experts note that such scandals reflect broader challenges facing South Africa’s local government sector, where procurement fraud and mismanagement have become increasingly common. The Auditor-General’s office has repeatedly flagged vehicle fleet management as a high-risk area for municipal corruption nationwide.

Meanwhile, the municipality has pushed back against claims that Rantsofu’s murder was connected to potential whistleblowing activities, describing such narratives as “distorted facts and sensationalised” accounts that could hamper ongoing investigations.

“These unverified claims not only potentially interfere with active legal processes but also risk causing unwarranted harm to individuals and institutions,” the mayor’s office stated.

Mako echoed these sentiments, calling for patience as authorities investigate both the fleet scandal and Rantsofu’s killing. “Let justice prevail, those that murdered the finance colleague could be apprehended… and wait for law enforcement to actually do its job,” he added.

As investigations continue, Emfuleni residents are left questioning how millions could be spent on phantom vehicles while basic service delivery remains compromised across the municipality, which encompasses Vereeniging, Vanderbijlpark, and surrounding areas.

Local governance watchdogs have called for transparent handling of the investigation, noting that the escalating political tensions threaten to overshadow the core issues of financial accountability and public resource management at the heart of the scandal.