Fraud charges against Malusi Booi in R1bn tender case dropped, for now
The case against former Cape Town mayoral committee member Malusi Booi involving allegations of unlawfully awarded tenders worth more than R1bn was provisionally withdrawn on Friday.
The corruption case against former City of Cape Town councillor Malusi Booi was provisionally withdrawn on Friday, 23 May 2025. The former mayoral committee member was arrested in September 2024 and faced charges relating to alleged unlawful tenders worth more than R1-billion.
It was a short appearance at the Cape Town Magistrates' Court as Booi and his co-accused, which include suspected 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield.
Booi was dressed in a black jacket and pants and shortly after his appearance alongside his former wife, it was announced that the charges against him had been dropped.
Fired after raid
Booi was a member of the DA and MMC for Human Settlements when it was announced in March 2023 that he had been fired by Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis after a raid at his office.
At the time, he told Daily Maverick that he wanted to clear his name.
He was arrested on charges related to fraud, money laundering and corruption and was granted bail of R250,000. He was alleged to have played a central role in a tender enterprise, including Stanfield and his wife, Nicole Johnson.
'I maintain my innocence'
After the hearing on Friday, Booi posted on social media platform X that he maintained his innocence.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my 84 year old mother, my ancestors, my partner, my entire family, friends, Nitta & crew, Manxasana & crew for their unwavering support & belief in my innocence!
Thanks to the Nkomo Foundation 🙏
I maintain my innocence 🙏 pic.twitter.com/LgFHkPBPDk
— Malusi Booi (@MalusiBooi) May 23, 2025
Stanfield and the other co-accused were still appearing in court at the time of writing.
The state wants to transfer their case to the Western Cape High Court in November 2025, while Stanfield and other defendants questioned why their case was being postponed yet again.
Before proceedings began, a small group of about 20 people held signs calling for Stanfield to be released. They also claimed the 'media is controlling the narrative and the mind of the masses'. The group, which largely consisted of elderly women, were holding signs and did not speak to the media.
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