Former Matatiele mayor Sonwabile Mngenela, who was forced to step down from his position after he was charged with fraud and corruption earlier in 2025, has blamed sinister forces in the ANC while insisting the criminal charges against him were trumped up.
The former ANC regional organiser said this week he believed the case was just a ploy to stop him from contesting for a position during the Alfred Nzo regional elective conference two months ago.
Ntabankulu mayor Tsileng Sobuthongo emerged victorious in a bruising contest for the control of the region after she narrowly beat her closest rival, Vukile Mhlelembana, the current Alfred Nzo district mayor, by just 22 votes.
In April, Mngenela was accused of defrauding his municipality by allegedly using public money to finance his trip to an ANC provincial elective conference in East London in 2022.
NPA regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali confirmed earlier in 2025 that the struggling municipality had spent more than R13,900 on accommodation and travel costs for him and his driver.
However, the trip was not authorised by the municipality, which was under the impression it was paying for Mngenela to attend an official meeting in East London.
At the time, he had been authorised to attend a bilateral meeting with the National Association of People Living with HIV and Aids (NAPWA).
Subsequently, a criminal case was opened against Mngenela by DA councillor Wonga Potwana.
But last week, the case against Mngenela was struck off the roll by the Mthatha regional court, paving the way for him to return to his position.
He said on Tuesday the case had been built on trumped up charges, that he was a victim of the ANC’s factional battles and that Potwana had allegedly been used as a pawn to push a certain agenda against him.
What was happening was that I had to be removed because of the regional elective conference. I would have been a stumbling block
“These were baseless and trumped-up charges,” he said.
“What was happening was that I had to be removed because of the regional elective conference. I would have been a stumbling block.
“I was regional organiser, so they identified a candidate that could derail attempts to win the conference and wrest leadership of the region by some members of the ANC. I then became their scapegoat.”
He said even during the court case, no witnesses were called to testify against him.
But he wanted to see more scrutiny being paid to the ANC’s infamous step-aside rule.
“People who find themselves having to comply with this step-aside rule are put in that position by fellow ANC members, sometimes using dirty politics and underhand tactics,” Mngenela said.
“When they want a position, you are quickly put on the step-aside rule. We need to review this.
“In my case, a DA councillor opened a criminal case against me, but that person was being used by ANC members because they could not go and open it themselves.
“The organisation [ANC] would have demanded answers.”
Potwana said this week he had nothing personal against Mngenela.
Nor was he in the pockets of anyone in the ANC. However, he had a responsibility to speak up when he saw an injustice being done.
He said he had followed all internal processes in council from 2022. He only decided to escalate the matter to the police due to a lack of progress.
He said there were nine witnesses willing to testify in court, himself included, but they were never called to the witness stand.
Mngenela said having to step aside while innocent had left him traumatised.
He insisted that he had been invited to attend the NAPWA meeting in his capacity as Matatiele mayor in East London in 2022.
“There is paperwork to back that up. The invitation came from NAPWA people. There is even an attendance register to provide sufficient proof,” Mngenela said.
Matatiele municipal spokesperson Ndabuko Masumpa said the local authority had not received any official communication regarding charges against Mngenela being struck off, nor about the ANC’s decision to have him reinstated.
But a letter from ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi, addressed to the party’s regional secretary, informed regional leaders that Mngenela’s suspension had been lifted with immediate effect.
“He must assume all positions he was holding before the suspension except those that were lapsed,” Ngcukayitobi wrote.
Matatiele resident Siphelele Ludidi said they welcomed the decision by the ANC to have Mngenela reinstated as mayor.
Daily Dispatch
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