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While the City of Johannesburg investigates a significant corruption scandal involving a R263 million water tanker tender, one of the key figures in the alleged scam has quietly reappeared, not before a court, but at an international investment conference in Paris.

Sibuyile Magingxa, whose company Nutinox, controversially secured the tender alongside Bulitpro Construction, is currently under investigation for price manipulation and collusion - red flags detailed by an amaBhungane investigation in December 2024. 

Mayor Dada Morero confirmed in January that the case is before the courts and is under internal audit. Yet, instead of facing scrutiny at home, Magingxa and his partner Lesedi Phala surfaced in the French capital, attending private meetings with international investors as part of the South Africa–France Investment Conference, despite not being listed as official delegates.

Their attendance was only uncovered through their own social media posts. It has been confirmed that public funds were not used to pay for their trip. But this does not answer the central question of how an individual at the centre of a corruption scandal was doing closed-door engagements with the Deputy President and global investors.

The Executive Mayor needs to publicly explain how he intends to deal with Magingxa’s Paris trip

This isn't just a matter of optics. It's a direct contradiction of Johannesburg's stated commitment to clean governance and accountability. We cannot claim to root out corruption when individuals implicated in questionable conduct are allowed to insert themselves into official business platforms with zero oversight.

If Johannesburg is serious about rebuilding its image and rooting out corruption, there must be no elite escape route, no shadow diplomacy, and no passport to privilege for the politically connected

Issued by Matthew Cook, GOOD National Chairperson and City of Johannesburg Councillor