ANCYL president Collen Malatji says acting Johannesburg Social Housing Company chief Themba Mathibe will have to account to the youth league after his arrest.
Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Newspapers
ANCYL president Collen Malatji says acting Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) chief executive Themba Mathibe, whom he described as an “investment” of the youth league, must explain himself to the organisation following his arrest last week.
Mathibe, 28, who is the chief executive of the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) and also serves as acting CEO of Joshco, was arrested after police allegedly found a substantial amount of cash at his Sandton home.
He was released on R50,000 bail by the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday and is facing money laundering charges.
Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday, Malatji confirmed that Mathibe remains a member of the youth league, but will be required to account to its leadership.
Mathibe is a former National Executive Committee (NEC) member of the youth league.
“We will formally request the secretary-general to ask the cadre to come forward and explain what happened.”
Malatji said the youth league had not yet received a formal report on the matter and was relying on media reports.
“So far, whatever we have are rumours. We don’t have a report sitting with us on what really happened,” he said.
He said it would be unfortunate if a “young, talented person” whom the youth league had invested in was implicated in such allegations, describing it as a potential setback for the organisation.
“We want a proper explanation so that we understand what really happened and are able to respond to the media as the Youth League,” Malatji said.
“But so far, we have only read about the arrest in the media.”
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed last week that Mathibe had been arrested and appeared in court.
“Following an extensive investigation into allegations of procurement irregularities at the Johannesburg Social Housing Company, the SAPS cold case unit and the Special Task Force effected an arrest on a charge of money laundering after the CEO was found with a substantial amount of money at his home,” Mathe said.
She said officers acted on a J51 search-and-seizure warrant and raided Mathibe’s home and offices. Investigations are continuing and further arrests cannot be ruled out, she added.
Reports said Hawks officers visited Mathibe’s home on Tuesday morning, where an undisclosed amount of cash was allegedly discovered.
The arrest followed raids at Joshco’s offices as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in certain contracts.
In a statement, Joshco said it was aware of allegations involving Mathibe but declined to confirm or deny reports of his arrest.
“At this stage, the entity cannot confirm any arrest, nor verify any allegations, as it would be inappropriate to comment on unverified information,” said spokesperson Nthabiseng Mphela.
ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji says acting Joshco CEO Themba Mathibe must explain himself to the organisation following his arrest last week.
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Mphela confirmed that law enforcement officials had questioned some employees at Joshco’s head office but said the entity had received no official communication confirming the arrest of any staff member or executive.
She said Joshco respected the rule of law and the presumption of innocence.
“Once the allegations, if any, are formally confirmed through the appropriate legal and governance channels, the Joshco board will provide direction on the way forward,” Mphela said, adding that the entity maintained a zero-tolerance stance on fraud and corruption.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance said it was concerned by the police raid, describing it as part of a broader pattern of governance failures.
“This is not an isolated incident,” said DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku.
“It follows years of warnings about dubious appointments, lack of transparency and a culture of cadre deployment that prioritises political loyalty over competence and accountability.”
She called on the City of Johannesburg to release recruitment and vetting documentation, where legally permissible, and to support law enforcement investigations.
According to reports, Mathibe has since returned to work despite the charges he faces.
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