Hawks and Public Protector asked to probe NMB mayor’s bank account

A former Good party regional chairperson has been issued with a cease-and-desist letter by Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Mayor Babalwa Lobishe’s lawyers, in a bid to stop him from making scathing allegations against her on Facebook.

Siyanda Mayana alleged that Lobishe received about R450,000 in transactions in her Capitec Bank account in December, an account he says has since been “frozen” by the financial institution.

The municipality’s budget and treasury political head, Khanya Ngqisha, said his Capitec account had also been frozen, but later claimed he had been joking.

Lobishe and Ngqisha discussed the matter at Tuesday’s mayoral committee meeting, attributing the bank account issues to routine compliance with the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (Fica).

A bank account can be frozen (or paused) due to issues with account verification, often to protect funds or comply with regulations, suspicious activity (fraud, money laundering), legal orders (unpaid debts, taxes, child support), government action or inactivity, restricting withdrawals and transfers until the issue is resolved.

Lobishe has categorically denied insinuations of unethical activity in her account, stating that it was paused and not frozen, and that she was not the only NMB councillor affected.

Mayana posted to Facebook on Monday, writing: “I’m tired of pretending. Why are your bank accounts frozen, Babalwa Lobishe?”

In another post, he wrote: “I received the money from Luthuli House, I don’t know why they sent me the money. Allegedly, that’s the mayor’s explanation.”

Later that day, Mayana alleged in a post that Lobishe received R65,000, R80,000 and R250,000 on 18 December.

On Tuesday, Mayana posted: “Babalwa Lobishe, did you receive R450,000 in your Capitec account in December 2025?”

Mayana approached the Hawks’ Specialised Commercial Crimes Unit in Gqeberha and registered a case for investigation.

Hawks spokesperson Avele Fumba confirmed that an inquiry for investigation had been opened.

“We have noted your request regarding the matter reported at Humewood Police Station and referred to the Commercial Crimes Unit. The matter is currently under investigation, and we are not in a position to provide further details at this stage. We will, however, ensure that you are informed of any developments as they occur.”

On Wednesday, Lobishe said in a text message that her bank account had been paused, and denied receiving any illicit funds.

“I raised the matter in the mayoral committee, myself and councillors were happy for the information, and in fact confirmed that I was not the only one from Capitec whose account has been paused,” said Lobishe.

‘No unscrupulous activities’

“My account is not frozen, it is paused. Deductions are going through, but I can’t transact due to the Fica requirements. Mr Mayana has been written to by my lawyers. We are still observing the process, including his writing to the Public Protector.

“For public information, I have no unscrupulous activities taking place in my account, nor have I received the said amounts of money.”

Ngqisha said that he mentioned his bank account had also been frozen as a “joke”.

“No man, that was just a joke. The mayor was speaking about her frozen or paused account and that it was not due to any wrongdoing. So I jokingly said that my account was also frozen, but I did state that I was joking, and I continued to commend the mayor for clearing what we’ve seen in the public domain. It was all a joke.”

Mayana wrote to the offices of the Public Protector and the city’s municipal public accounts committee (Mpac) chair, Luxolo Namette, asking for the matter to be probed.

“It has been alleged that in December 2025, the executive mayor received, among other amounts, a lump sum payment amounting to R450,000 into her personal Capitec Bank account. These allegations further indicate that, following the transaction, the said bank account was frozen, raising grave concerns regarding the source, legitimacy, and purpose of the funds,” Mayana wrote.

“Given the senior public office occupied by the mayor, these allegations have generated significant public concern and have the potential to undermine public confidence in local government, ethical leadership, and the integrity of municipal governance if left unaddressed.”

Mayana urged the two offices to establish whether any conflict of interest, abuse of office, or maladministration had occurred and to take appropriate remedial action, should any wrongdoing be established.

Public Protector spokesperson Ndili Msoki said they had received the complaint and it would be processed accordingly.

“Once a complaint has been lodged, it is screened and assessed to determine jurisdiction and whether there is sufficient information and substantive reasons as to why the matter should be accepted for investigation.”

Msoki said Mayana’s complaint was still in the assessment phase.

“Should the assessment reveal that there is sufficient information to proceed with an investigation and it is determined that the Public Protector has jurisdiction to investigate the matter, the complaint will be allocated to an investigator who then commences the process.”

Namette confirmed receipt of the letter but said Mpac would not investigate “a personal matter”.

“We are only responsible for municipal accounts and not personal ones. So I will wait until council brings the matter to [our] attention, but even then, Mpac will not be the correct office to investigate such unless the funds in question have to do with the ratepayers’ money.”

‘False and baseless statements’

Lobishe’s lawyers, Vimba and Associates Incorporated, wrote to Mayana on 20 January, informing him about the negative effects of his posts on their client.

“The aforesaid statements are false, baseless and made recklessly without any regard for the truth. They falsely and maliciously portray our client as corrupt and a person of low morals,” reads the letter.

“These publications have caused, and continue to cause, our client severe reputational harm, including undermining public trust in her leadership of the ANC and the municipality, exposing her to public ridicule and scorn, damaging her personal and professional standing, and potentially interfering with her official duties as executive mayor.”

The attorneys demanded that Mayana:

• Delete all defamatory posts regarding Lobishe from his Facebook profile;
• Issue a full, unconditional public apology and retraction on Facebook; and
• Provide formal written proof of compliance with the above to the attorneys via e-mail.

Failure to comply will result in Lobishe approaching the court to institute a defamation case, a claim for damages and legal costs.

After receiving the letter, Mayana said he would not delete the posts or apologise to Lobishe, as he had not accused her of anything.

“All I request is for her to come out in the public for transparency and explain why her bank account has been frozen, because clearly there are suspicious transactions that were flagged. There’s a code of conduct that she, as a public office-bearer, has to abide by.”

Mayana said Lobishe had a duty to take the public into her confidence by explaining why her bank account had been frozen.

“Fica requirements do not typically lead to an account freeze unless suspicious activity has been picked up.

“I have it on good authority that during the mayoral committee [meeting] she confirmed her account being frozen and she used the word ‘frozen’ specifically and did not say it was paused, as she is stating now.”

In a statement on her Facebook account, Lobishe said the “circulation of false, defamatory and malicious allegations” misrepresented her integrity and undermined public confidence in her leadership.

“These allegations are categorically false, unfounded, and reckless. They are not supported by any evidence. For clarity and for the public record, I confirm that I proactively raised this matter in the mayoral committee, where councillors were fully briefed,” wrote Lobishe.

“It was acknowledged that similar administrative banking processes have affected other Capitec clients and that this is not an isolated incident. My bank account is not frozen; it has been temporarily paused for transactional purposes only, in line with routine Fica compliance requirements.”

Lobishe rejected Mayana’s claims as untrue, not supported by facts, and deliberately misleading.

“I caution that coordinated smear campaigns, defamation, harassment, abuse and the deliberate spread of misinformation will not be tolerated. I call for responsible public discourse and urge members of the public and the media to verify information through credible and lawful channels.” DM