The highly secured offices of eThekwini Municipality’s City Integrity and Investigation Unit (CIIU) in central Durban have been broken into and several files into finalised corruption investigations were reportedly stolen. 

The break in happened on Saturday (15 March 2025) on the 10th floor of Rennies House where the unit is housed. Worth noting is that access to the building is strictly controlled and staff use biometrics technology to get in and out of the building.

The CIIU was the one that initiated the corruption investigation into former Mayor Zandile Gumede and others in the R320 million Durban Solid Waste tender.

It also investigated a senior HR official who was involved in sex for jobs scandal. The official later resigned. 

The break-in was confirmed by the eThekwini municipality in a statement. It also raised concerns about the incident. 

The city said the motive of the break-in is unknown at this stage and the incident has been reported to the South African Police Service for investigation.

It stressed that it will not provide any further comments on this matter as it is now subject to a police investigation.

City Manager Musa Mbhele condemned the incident, urging the police to leave no stone unturned to apprehend the culprits.

“What is of great concern is that the CIIU office which is tasked with the huge responsibility of rooting out fraud, corruption and maladministration in the Municipality has been targeted by criminals. However, we will not be deterred in our quest to root out fraud and corruption without fear or favour,” Mbhele said.