R4 Million Bribe Bust: Man Accused Of Trying To Buy Back R1.6bn Cape Town Tenders Appears In Court

A 56-year-old man has appeared in court after allegedly attempting to bribe a City of Cape Town official with R4 million to reinstate municipal contracts worth about R1.6 billion.

Shaun Roos is accused of trying to influence an investigation into tenders awarded to Triple C Maintenance and Services, where he allegedly served as operations manager.

According to court documents, Roos arranged a meeting in February with Lungelo Mbandazayo at Table View Mall.

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During the meeting, it is alleged that the accused attempted to persuade the official to help reinstate contracts previously awarded to the company.

“The accused then offered the City official a bribe of R4 000 000.00 in order for the said City Manager to assist in reinstating and approving the tenders that were previously allocated to Triple C,” court papers state.

Undercover operation leads to man arrest and cash seizure

The bribery attempt forms part of a broader investigation into municipal contracts valued at roughly R1.6 billion.

According to Novela Potelwa, detectives from the South African Police Service Commercial Crime Investigation unit had been probing the matter for months.

In September 2025, investigators carried out coordinated search-and-seizure operations at 26 properties connected to the company.

The raids included business premises, private homes belonging to municipal officials and other locations linked to individuals or entities awarded contracts by the municipality.

Police later conducted an undercover operation on 3 March at Watercress Mall in Somerset West, where Mbandazayo acted as an authorised agent during the sting.

Authorities seized R1.4 million in cash, along with a vehicle and a cellphone from Roos during the operation.

Sources claim the money may have been intended as a down payment to halt the investigation and revive the suspended contracts.

Roos later handed himself over to police and appeared in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on 5 March.

City of Cape Town cuts ties with contractor

Roos now faces a Schedule 5 corruption charge.

Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town confirmed that it has already cancelled all contracts linked to Triple C Maintenance and Services.

In a statement, the municipality said the decision followed a joint investigation involving the City’s Ethics and Forensics Department and SAPS.

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“This follows a joint investigation involving the City’s Ethics and Forensics Department and the South African Police Service (SAPS). Acting as an authorised agent in terms of the relevant legal provisions, the City Manager worked with SAPS in a controlled operation that resulted in the arrest of the owner of the business.

“In light of these developments, the City moved immediately to terminate all contracts held by Triple C with the municipality. These contracts are mostly construction-related and include road maintenance, resurfacing, and stormwater infrastructure.

“The decision to terminate was made in the context of an ongoing investigation by the City’s Ethics and Forensics Department and the SAPS.”

The matter has been postponed to 23 March, when Roos is expected to apply for bail.