Eight Alfred Ndzo District Municipality officials and a local business man appeared at the Mount Ayliff Magistrate’s Court following their arrest for alleged fraud, corruption, money laundering and contraventions of Municipal Finance Management Act totaling more than R300 Million.
The suspects, former Chief Financial Officer at the Municipality Luyolo Fokazi (44), Supply chain manager Zuko Mani (39), businessman and owner of Linhlenathi Property and LNP Construction Unathi Mantanga (33); municipal officials Thembisa Manciya(52), Mawethu Mtengwana (46), Sifiso Ntanga (36), Nkosinathi Gule (50), Xolani Masiza (49), Miranda Matutuba (43) were granted R8000 bail and their case has been remanded to 05 April 2018 pending further investigations.
It is alleged that in October 2014 officials of the Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC) and Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC) attached to the Alfred Ndzo Municipality allegedly flouted the procurement processes by irregularly awarding 9 contracts to eight (8) companies in relation to water supply (installation of water pies and tanks) in Matatiele, Mbizana, Umzimvubu and Cabazana.
The suspects allegedly took the tender documents to another province without authority and pretended as if the BEC and the BAC sat to evaluate the tenders.
The Hawks investigations commenced in 2015 which lead to the arrest of the group. More arrests are expected soon.
Acting National Head of the Hawks Lieutenant General Yolisa Matakata has hailed the arrests as another indication of the Hawks, Special Investigative Unit (SIU) and Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) continuous collaboration in their aggressive war against corruption in the Eastern Cape as well as in the country.
“Many cases have been gathering dust and we have been inundated with a lot of complaints. We have a responsibility to make sure that we take our obligation serious and I have sent a team to make sure that all the cases receive the necessary attention speedily.
“We have many cases to investigate and we refuse to fail our people as there is already a narrative that is being perpetuated by mischievous individuals in the province, some within the Hawks using the media to double deal about investigations in the Eastern Cape. AS the Minister of Police always say, we also do not have time to waste time about dishonest people who are hell bent with unscrupulous agenda. We won’t be derailed from doing what we are employed and that is to rid of all those who are corrupt irrespective of their stature in society,” she said.
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