Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has requested an urgent briefing from the SA Police Service (SAPS) after commercial crimes investigators raided the offices of two members of the mayoral committees (MMCs) on Friday.
“I note the raid by authorities at the offices of MMCs JP Smith and Xanthea Limberg, who have informed me they’ve offered full co-operation to the SAPS but have not been made aware of the allegations,” said Hill-Lewis.
“I’ve requested an urgent briefing from SAPS to understand the details of this matter and will determine further actions once this has been received.”
Limberg is the MMC for energy and Smith for safety and security.
Provincial commercial crimes investigators descended on the municipality’s offices on Friday morning.
“Their presence is part of forensic investigations, which emanate from a case before court. Several municipal officials and business owners face myriad charges that relate to the same investigation,” said police spokesperson Col Andrè Traut.
However, police did not release further details about the raid.
“Whether the investigations the commercial crimes detective team is embarking upon now will lead to arrests remains to be seen. No-one has been arrested. The team requests space to conduct its investigation,” said Traut.
“Speculation about who the investigation is directed at, seizure of items and possible arrests would be premature. It would be out of the norm for SAPS investigators to discuss pertinent details of their investigations. The focus is on presenting a strong case before court.”
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