Linda Morris Mti (born 1954) is a retired South African politician and civil servant who is best known for his tenure as National Commissioner of Correctional Services from 2001 to 2006.
He currently faces charges of corruption, fraud, and money laundering in connection with contracts illegally awarded to Bosasa during his tenure as commissioner.
[2] In 1977, in the aftermath of the Soweto uprising, he was one of many Black Consciousness activists detained by the Security Branch of the police; upon his release, he went into exile in Lesotho, where he joined the African National Congress (ANC).
[2] Until 1985, Mti was stationed with the ANC's operation in Lesotho, where he was a senior member of the Umkhonto we Sizwe command and Regional Politico-Military Council under Chris Hani and Lambert Moloi.
[6] Mti denied all allegations of improper conduct or inappropriate ties to Bosasa, but the story led to months of sustained pressure on him, invoking the consternation of Parliament and triggering an investigation by the Public Service Commission.
[15] In a statement, it commended him "for the critical role he has played in the transformation of the department from the quagmire of its apartheid legacy to its current status as a leading player in offender corrections and rehabilitation".
The Department of Correctional Services had announced that Mti was leaving the commissioner's office in order to accept a position as local head of security for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which South Africa was hosting.
[5] In April 2016, the council of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality appointed Mti as head of the city's department of safety and security.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) reportedly opposed his appointment, on the grounds that he was still under investigation in connection with alleged fraud at the Department of Correctional Services.
He pled guilty to drunk driving – having been almost three times over the legal blood alcohol limit – and paid a R20,000 fine in lieu of two months' imprisonment.
In February 2019, Mti submitted to arrest and appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria, alongside others, on charges emanating from the Bosasa contracts.
[27] According to the commission, there was strong evidence to suggest that the department's former chief financial officer, Patrick Gillingham, had facilitated the unlawful award of contracts to Bosasa, and that Mti himself had been complicit.