The mayor of the Ubuntu Local Municipality in the Northern Cape has been granted R2 000 bail after her arrest by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team on Friday, 3 July.

Cheryl Jantjies, 40, made a brief appearance before the Richmond Magistrate’s Court shortly after her arrest, and has been charged with 28 counts of contravention of Section 13A of the Pension Funds Act 24 of 1956 and contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act.

Municipal workers’ contributions withheld or delayed

According to the South African Police Service (Saps), Jantjies was arrested after it emerged that two municipal employees withheld or delayed municipal workers’ contributions to third parties.

“It is alleged that during the period February 2020 and September 2025, the municipal manager, Ms Synthia Levona Itumeleng, 45, and the chief financial officer, Mr Randile Jacobs Shuping, in the performance of their duties, withheld/delayed payments of municipal workers’ contributions to third parties, which included payments to the Consolidated Retirement Pension Fund,” Saps said in a statement.

The delayed payments accumulated interest, which was never paid despite payment reminders.

This action, Saps said, left the municipality with a debt of over R200 000.

“This debt was recently reduced to just under R100 000 in pension fund contributions, thereby contravening Section 13A of the Pension Funds Act 24 of 1956.”

Mayor to join co-accused

Jantjies served as mayor during that period, where she had a role in overseeing the running of the municipality.

The matter was postponed to 20 August, when she will join Itumeleng and Shuping, her two co-accused.

Itumeleng and Shuping were arrested in May, and were charged with 28 counts of contravention of Section 13A of the Pension Funds Act 24 of 1956.

The Victoria West Magistrate’s Court granted Itumeleng R5 000 bail while Shuping was granted bail of R10 000.