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5 October 2026 · Reporting checked against the current sources listed below.
Three figures at the centre of Knysna’s municipal leadership are due to appear in the Knysna Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 5 October, after arrests linked to an alleged kickback scheme involving a security-services contract.
Former mayor Thando Matika, acting municipal manager Boy Manqoba Ngubo and acting chief financial officer Busisiwe Lubelwana were arrested last week. Police allege that a businessman holding a municipal security contract was solicited for kickbacks in exchange for keeping the contract, and that hundreds of thousands of rand had already been paid because he feared losing the work.
The allegations have not been tested in court. Knysna Municipality has said the legal process should be allowed to run and has focused publicly on continuity of services and administrative stability.
The case matters beyond the three accused because the positions involved sit at the political, administrative and financial centre of a municipality already facing governance strain. It also puts procurement controls around security spending under renewed scrutiny.
Monday’s appearance is the next formal step. The court process will determine the charges before it, while any wider investigation into procurement or municipal losses remains separate from a finding of criminal guilt.
