Former City of Cape Town mayoral committee member Malusi Booi was arrested in connection with a fraud and corruption tender case. (Misha Jordaan/Gallo Images)
- Former City of Cape Town mayoral committee member Malusi Booi has been arrested.
- Booi was arrested on Monday evening in the Eastern Cape.
- In March last year, police raided Booi’s offices, which saw him removed from the human settlements portfolio.
Malusi Booi, a former City of Cape Town mayoral committee member, was arrested in connection with a fraud and corruption tender case.
Western Cape police said officials swooped on a location in the Eastern Cape on Monday evening and arrested a 46-year-old man.
While police did not name the man, two senior DA and City of Cape Town sources confirmed to News24 that it was Booi.
READ | Malusi Booi resigns as DA councillor with immediate effect
In March last year, police raided Booi’s offices, which saw him being removed from the human settlements portfolio.
He was suspended from participating in any of the party’s activities pending the outcome of an investigation.
He subsequently resigned as a DA councillor in October.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said the arrest followed an investigation initiated by commercial crimes detectives.
It resulted in the investigators raiding some City of Cape Town offices in March 2023 and seizing a number of items as part of the probe.
“Meanwhile, as this investigation unfolds, another team from the same police unit also arrested three others in Johannesburg early on Tuesday morning.
“With the take-down operation progressing, four other suspects were arrested in Cape Town on Tuesday,” she said.
Those arrested are currently being brought to Cape Town, where all eight people are expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
They face charges related to money laundering, racketeering, corruption and extortion fraud.
“The arrests are seen as a significant milestone in this major investigation, with the suspects charged and brought before court. The possibility of further arrests in the matter cannot be ruled out,” said Potelwa.
The mayoral committee member for human settlements, Carl Pophaim, told News24 he welcomed the progress made in the investigation, which had been ongoing for an extended period.
“The City [of Cape Town] and, in particular, the human settlements directorate will continue to assist and support law enforcement agencies in these endeavours.
“We remain committed to ensuring delivery to our most vulnerable residents, under difficult circumstances, as we actively work to uproot any form of maladministration,” he said.
The DA’s provincial leader, Tertuis Simmers, said the law was taking its course.