The eThekwini municipality in KwaZulu-Natal has suffered another worrying break-in where a critical office was invaded and unspecified files and laptops were stolen.
Malusi Mhlongo, the chief operating officer (COO) for legal affairs, had his office broken into during the night of Wednesday and Thursday of last week.
Mhlongo’s office is located in a secure but unnamed building in central Durban
Sources in the municipality informed Sunday World about the incident on Thursday morning after the unit’s employees were instructed to leave and work from home while the police were present.
“Good morning, colleagues I have received a report that there was a break-in into the offices of the COO overnight.
“The police are on the scene, and the staff have been sent home to work remotely,” reads the notice that was sent to the staff after the break-in was discovered.
Municipality confirms the break-in
After Sunday World reached out to the municipality for comment, the response was sent until Monday, when spokesperson Gugu Sisilana confirmed the break-in.
Sisilana said the break-in was troubling to the municipality.
“The eThekwini municipality has noted with concern the break-in that occurred at the city’s chief operations officer offices. The motive for the break-in is unknown at this stage.
“The incident has been reported to the South African Police Service for investigation, and the eThekwini municipality will not provide any further comments on this matter as it is now a subject of police investigation,” Sisilana said in a written response.
In March, the offices of the City Integrity and Investigations Unit (CIIU), located at the highly secured Rennies House overlooking the Durban Harbour, were broken into, and unspecified files were reportedly stolen.
The CIIU is the office responsible for investigating fraud and corruption-related cases in the municipality. No arrests have been made yet.
