Former mayor of the now defunct Ingwe Local Municipality in KwaZulu Natal has been sentenced to seven years in prison for fraud and contravening the Municipal Finance Management Act. The Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court sentenced Nomagugu Luzulane (49) for fraud which happened at Ingwe Local Municipality now known as Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma in the far north of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) on Thursday.

STEALING MONEY MEANT FOR THE POOR 

Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo that said that in April 2012, Luzulane was a mayor at Ingwe Local Municipality and during this period, she initiated a community project to assist the poor in the community. She purchased food parcels under the pretense of assisting the community but redirected that food to the funeral of her alleged lover?s relative. "Luzumane further hired a tent and sound system that was used during the funeral. Furthermore, she hired a catering company and paid R50 000 from the municipality which was allegedly paid back to her in cash. As a result, the municipality suffered a financial loss of R71 500. "A case of fraud and corruption was reported to the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation for intensive investigation. Luzumane was arrested in 2017 and was released on bail. She appeared in court several times until she was found guilty in July 2023.

SENTENCING

Luzumane was sentenced to seven years imprisonment of which two years is suspended for five years on condition that she is not convicted of fraud or theft during the period of suspension. "She was further sentenced to three years imprisonment for three counts of contravening Municipal Finance Management Act. Her sentence will run concurrently," she said.