How to steal a city : the battle for Nelson Mandela Bay : an inside account

Praise for How to Steal a City -- Title Page -- Dedication -- Authorâ#x80;#x99;s note -- List of abbreviations -- PART I: How to Steal a City -- Chapter 1: Exile -- Chapter 2: Back to Basics -- Chapter 3: eBhayi -- Chapter 4: Soccer Games -- Chapter 5: The Party -- Chapter 6: The Lid Lifts -- Chapter 7: Bus Fares -- Chapter 8: Houses, Security and Comfort -- Chapter 9: The Reckoning -- PART II: The Battle for Nelson Mandela Bay -- Chapter 10: Funny Money -- Chapter 11: Hunger Games -- Chapter 12: Resistance -- Chapter 13: Causes and Caucuses 'In March 2015, I was tasked by Pravin Gordhan, the minister responsible for local government, to root out corruption in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality in the Eastern Cape. Over the following eighteen months, I led the investigations and orchestrated the crackdown as the "hatchet man" for the metro’s new Mayor, Danny Jordaan. This is my account of kickbacks, rigged contracts and a political party at war with itself.' How to Steal a City is the gripping insider account of this intervention, which lays bare how Nelson Mandela Bay metro was bled dry by criminal syndicates, and how factional politics within the ruling party abetted that corruption. As a former senior state official and local government 'fixer', Crispian Olver was no stranger to dodgy politicians and broken organisations. Yet what he found in Nelson Mandela Bay went far beyond rigged contracts, blatant conflicts of interest and garden-variety kickbacks. The city's administration had evolved into a sophisticated web of front companies, criminal syndicates and compromised local politicians and officials. The metro was effectively controlled by a criminal network closely allied to a dominant local ANC faction. What Olver found was complete state capture – a microcosm of what has taken place in national government. Olver and his team initiated a clean-up of the administration, clearing out corrupt officials and rebuilding public trust. Then came the ANC's doomed campaign for the August 2016 local government elections. Having lost its way in factional battles and corruption, the divided party went down to a humiliating defeat in its traditional heartland. Olver paid a high price for his work in Nelson Mandela Bay. Intense political pressure and even threats to his personal safety took a toll on his mental and physical health. When his political support was withdrawn, he had to flee the city as the forces stacked against him took their revenge. This is his story. How to Steal a City is an insider account of this intervention, which lays bare how the administration was entirely captured and bled dry by a criminal syndicate, how factional politics within the ruling party abetted that corruption, and how a comprehensive clean-up was eventually conducted. It is written as a gripping real-life thriller, taking the reader deeper and deeper into the rotten heart of the city. As a former senior government official and local government "fixer," Crispian Olver was no stranger to dealing with dodgy politicians and broken organisations. Yet what he found was graft that went far beyond the dodgy contracts, blatant conflicts of interest and garden-variety kickbacks he had seen before. It had evolved into a web far more sophisticated and deep rooted than he had ever imagined, involving mazes of shell companies, assassinations, criminal syndicates, and compromised local politicians. The metro was effectively controlled by a criminal network, closely allied to a dominant local ANC faction. What he found was complete state capture - a microcosm of what has been happening in South Africa's national government. But there was a personal price to pay. Intense political pressure and threats to his personal safety took a toll on his mental and physical health. He had to have a full-time bodyguard, and never maintained a regular routine. He eventually lost much of his political cover. Olver ultimately had to flee the city as the forces stacked against him started to wreak their revenge -- Bookseller's description 'In March 2015, I was tasked by Pravin Gordhan, the minister responsible for local government, to root out corruption in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality in the Eastern Cape. Over the following eighteen months, I led the investigations and orchestrated the crackdown as the "hatchet man" for the metro's new Mayor, Danny Jordaan. This is my account of kickbacks, rigged contracts and a political party at war with itself.' How to Steal a City is the gripping insider account of this intervention, which lays bare how Nelson Mandela Bay metro was bled dry by criminal syndicates, and how factional politics within the ruling party abetted that corruption. As a former senior state official and local government 'fixer', Crispian Olver was no stranger to dodgy politicians and broken organisations. Yet what he found in Nelson Mandela Bay went far beyond rigged contracts, blatant conflicts of interest and garden-variety kickbacks. The city's administration had... Non-fiction,Nelson Mandela Bay,How to Steal a City,Crispian Olver,Chippy Olver,Jonathan Ball Publishers,Jonathan Ball,Inside account,ANC,corruption,state capture,Pravin Gordhan,Danny Jordaan Praise for How to Steal a City -- Title Page -- Dedication -- Authorâ#x80 #x99 s note -- List of abbreviations -- PART I: How to Steal a City -- Chapter 1: Exile -- Chapter 2: Back to Basics -- Chapter 3: eBhayi -- Chapter 4: Soccer Games -- Chapter 5: The Party -- Chapter 6: The Lid Lifts -- Chapter 7: Bus Fares -- Chapter 8: Houses, Security and Comfort -- Chapter 9: The Reckoning -- PART II: The Battle for Nelson Mandela Bay -- Chapter 10: Funny Money -- Chapter 11: Hunger Games -- Chapter 12: Resistance -- Chapter 13: Causes and Caucuses Chapter 14: Desert CampaignChapter 15: The Waste Land -- Chapter 16: The Road Ahead -- Acknowledgements -- Cast of characters -- Notes -- About the book -- About the author