The controversial city manager of eThekwini metro, Musa Mbhele, is involved in another controversy after it was alleged that he visited and verbally threatened the owner of the company that recently won a lawsuit of over R100-million against the municipality.
Mbhele allegedly made a visit to the home of Ndumiso Blessing Ndlela, the director of Bless Joe Trading in Pinetown, on Friday last week.
Two days after court victory
That was merely two days after Ndlela crushed the municipality in the Durban High Court. It was ordered to pay him for services he rendered after the 2019 Durban floods. His tender was later cancelled by spiteful officials, and he was not paid.
The allegations that Mbhele visited and threatened Ndlela are contained in a letter dated June 13, which was obtained by Sunday World.
The letter came from law firm, Anitha D Chetty and Associates, and it was addressed to Mbhele and copied to eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, and the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi.
The law firm said it wanted to have the matter against Mbhele officially recorded, and if he persisted, they would drag him to court since Ndlela is now feeling “unsafe”.
Lawyers roped in
“Our instructions are to place the following on record: 1. At 05h00 (5am) on an even date, you called upon the residence of our client with 3 (three) men unknown to our client. It is unknown to our client as to how you obtained the residential address of our client given the protections afforded by the Protection of Personal Information Act; 3. It is further unknown to our client as to why you called upon our client’s residence at 05hOO (5am),” reads the letter.
In the same letter, the lawyers said they believed Mbhele had gone rogue. They said he acted in rage after losing the recent court case.
“The only link our client is able to establish with you is the recent judgment our client received in its favour. Where the eThekwini Municipality was ordered to pay our client a substantial sum in damages. This judgment was handed down on Wednesday, 11th June 2025. And it has garnered significant attention by the media within the past two days. It has placed the management of eThekwini Municipality under severe public scrutiny.”
According to the letter, the incident was also recorded in the occurrence book of the SAPS in Pinetown. The police said no case has been opened so far.
Given ultimatum
“In the event that we do not receive your response by close of business on Tuesday, 17th June 2025, our client humbly requests that this incident be investigated by the persons of interest copied herein within 7 (seven) days so that the reason for your enquiry into our client’s whereabouts can be established and our client’s sense of safety and security can be restored.
“In the interim, and in order to protect our client’s safety and security, our client has noted the incident at the Pinetown SAPS under reference 0B 734/06/2025. Our instructions are to further place on record that in the event that you repeat this peculiar conduct, our client will have no option but to approach the relevant court for the necessary urgent relief.”
