# Knysna arrests deepen municipal crisis

> Former mayor, acting manager and CFO arrested over alleged kickbacks linked to a security contract as the municipality faces killings, leadership battles and an SIU probe.
- Title: Knysna arrests deepen municipal crisis · Daily Maverick
- Summary: Former mayor, acting manager and CFO arrested over alleged kickbacks linked to a security contract as the municipality faces killings, leadership battles and…
- Keywords: knysna, thando matika, boy manqoba ngubo, busisiwe lubelwana, corruption, security contract, kickbacks, municipal crisis, local elections 2026, siu investigation, news, politics
- Source: Daily Maverick — https://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-02-knysna-in-turmoil-as-former-mayors-arrest-deepens-crisis
- Author: Vincent Cruywagen
- Published: 2026-10-02T15:21:09+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: knysna, thando matika, boy manqoba ngubo, busisiwe lubelwana, corruption, security contract, kickbacks, municipal crisis, local elections 2026, siu investigation, news, politics
## Three arrested in Knysna corruption probe
Former Knysna mayor Thando Matika, acting municipal manager Boy Manqoba Ngubo and acting CFO Busisiwe Lubelwana were arrested on Thursday, October first, over alleged kickbacks linked to a municipal security contract.
## The alleged scheme
Police say a businessman awarded a security services contract was solicited for kickbacks to continue it. He allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of rand out of fear his contract would be terminated.
## Court appearance set
The three accused face corruption charges and are due in court on Monday, October fifth, twenty twenty-six.
## Matika removed as mayor
Knysna has been without an elected mayor since September eighteenth, when the ANC removed Matika after he was listed as a candidate for the South African Communist Party. Matika disputes his removal.
## Coalition governs since twenty twenty-two
A coalition comprising the ANC, EFF, Patriotic Alliance, Knysna Independent Movement and Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners has governed the municipal council since August twenty twenty-two, when a motion of no confidence ousted the previous DA-led coalition.
## Three killings in August
Former mayor Aubrey Tsengwa was shot dead on August nineteenth. Less than twenty-four hours later, former councillor Mandla Matiwane and local taxi forum secretary Mandla Tyololo were also shot dead.
## SIU probe into sixty-eight million rand tender
President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised an SIU investigation into the sixty-eight million rand municipal security tender just twelve days before Tsengwa's killing. The probe covers alleged procurement irregularities, improper conduct and possible financial losses.
## DA seizes on arrests
DA Knysna mayoral candidate Levael Davis said the party was ready to end what he described as a shameful era of corruption, chaos and decay in the municipality. He called for a Section one thirty-nine intervention.

> shameful era of corruption, chaos and decay
## DA demands money recovery
Davis said accountability cannot end with arrests and that if legal proceedings establish municipal funds were unlawfully lost, every available mechanism must be used to recover residents' money.

> Accountability cannot end with arrests
## GOOD frames as trust test
GOOD's Garden Route District councillor Rosa Louw said allegations of this nature strike directly at the trust residents place in local government. She linked corruption to money diverted from communities and essential services.
## SACP warns against interference
Western Cape Provincial Secretary Benson Ngqentsu called for law enforcement and judicial processes to proceed without interference. He hoped the arrests were not driven by palace politics or attempts to tarnish reputations.
## November fourth election looms
The arrests have sharpened the political contest before the fourth of November local government elections. The DA argues only a DA-led government can restore accountable governance and prevent another five years of coalition chaos.
## Key takeaway

Knysna's former mayor Thando Matika, acting municipal manager Boy Manqoba Ngubo and acting CFO Busisiwe Lubelwana were arrested on October first over alleged corruption involving a municipal security contract, deepening a crisis marked by killings and political turmoil before November elections.