EFF Demands Suspension of CEO Themba Mathibe Following Arrest for Possession of Substantial Cash

• The Economic Freedom Fighters in Gauteng slammed the CEO of the Johannesburg Development, Themba Mathibe, after he was arrested
• The South African Police Service effected the arrest after they found a substantial amount of money in his possession
• The EFF was not surprised by the arrest, and some South Africans weighed in on the bust, accusing Mathibe of squandering taxpayers' money

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk, South Africa, covered a range of criminal activities, including cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, shootings, police investigations, police shootouts, and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

JOHANNESBURG — The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng called for the CEO of the Johannesburg Development, Themba Mathibe, to be removed from his position. He was arrested on 27 January 2026 after he was allegedly found in possession of a substantial amount of cash.

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The EFF posted a statement on its @EFFGauteng X account. The party said that Mathibe's appointment in 2024 was mired in controversy, with allegations that the recruitment process was manipulated to secure his employment. The party called for him to be removed pending an investigation into the allegations.

EFF slams Mathibe

The party also called for an investigation into all contracts, procurement processes, and financial decisions that were approved since Mathibe was appointed the CEO. The party also slammed the African National Congress (ANC), of which Mathibe was a member.

"The EFF is not surprised by such developments, as they are characteristic of ANC deployees to government and public entities. The web of corruption within the ANC is deeply embedded and infectious, co-opting the young and the old, the unschooled and the educated alike. This is the kind of rot that has eroded the capacity of our government to render services and improve people's living conditions," the party said.

Read the full statement on X here:

Mathibe is not the only senior executive of a state-owned entity facing criminal investigations. The former CEO of the Independent Development Trust, Tebogo Malaka, recently resigned from her position. This was after she was caught allegedly trying to bribe journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh in 2025.

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The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, slammed Malaka and opened a case against her. He called for authorities to investigate her. She accused Macpherson of targeting her unfairly.

South Africans welcome arrest

Netizens on X applauded his arrest.

Thabi said:

"This is the person who was hired in his 20s in a role that required at least 10 years of leadership experience. That's why I never celebrate the achievements of anyone within the ANC as black excellence."

Khanki said:

"These ones learn corruption in varsity as SRC members. Once they've perfected their corruption abilities, they get promoted into government departments."

Mr TBD said:

"Oh, no! Not him with all his 100 master's degrees from Wits."

Sthenjwa was sarcastic:

"This is racism. This young man became a CEO at 28 years old and had over 30 years of senior management experience. Was a CEO and acting CEO for two major organisations. They're just jealous of him."

Cape Town officers arrested after demanding bribe

In a related article, Briefly News reported that two law enforcement officers were arrested after they tried to solicit a bribe from a motorist.

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The motorist was stopped for driving under the influence of alcohol in Cape Town. They demanded a bribe to let him go. The driver reported the incident to the anti-corruption unit.

Source: Briefly News