ANC NEC member and the party’s former national spokesperson Pule Mabe has stepped aside from all his party positions, including as member of the NEC, amid corruption charges he is facing.
Mabe announced his decision to step aside outside the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court on Wednesday when addressing members of the media. He was standing alongside his wife and co-accused Mmatlhekelo Elsie Mabe when addressing the media.
Mabe said he wrote a letter to ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula informing him about his decision to step aside.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mabe and six co-accused were granted bail of R30, 000 each. They had just appeared at the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sitting at the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
Matter postponed to March 25 2025
The matter was postponed to March 25 2025. The postponement was for disclosure of the docket and list of state witnesses of the state to be submitted to the accused.
Mabe, 44, and six other suspects, including his wife Mmatlhekelo, 46, appeared in court on Wednesday. This was in connection with a R27-million tender allegedly unlawfully awarded to Mabe’s company in 2017.
The accused are Mabe and Mmatlhekelo. Chief director at the Gauteng department of agriculture and rural development (GDARD) Loyiso Mkwana, 51. Ex-GDARD head of department Thandeka Mbassa, 59 and ex-GDARD head of department Matilda Gasela, 65. Former GDARD CFO Abdullah Mohamed Ismail, 50, and Mabe’s business associate Tinyiko Mahuntsi, 46. They are charged with 29 counts ranging from fraud, theft, the contravention of the Public Finance Management Act. Also money laundering and assisting another to benefit from proceeds of unlawful activities.
The other accused in the matter are Mabe’s businesses KGP Media Holdings (Pty) Ltd trading as Enviro Mobi Pty Ltd, and later Groen Mintirho (accused eight). And Star Mass Direct (Pty) Ltd trading as Kariki Media Holdings (accused nine).
R27-million tender
The charges stem from alleged corruption related to a R27-million tender. It was allegedly unlawfully awarded to Mabe’s Enviro Mobi company in 2017.
The seven suspects handed themselves over to investigators on Wednesday morning. They handed themselves to theDirectorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (DPCI) (Hawks) serious commercial crime investigation unit in Gauteng.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane explained the charges. She said the charges stem from the investigation conducted by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Hawks. This into a tender worth over R27-million that was allegedly unlawfully awarded to Enviro Mobi in March 2017. It was to supply 200 three-wheeled waste collection vehicles known as TukTuks. As well as over R6-million of storage costs. The cost was paid by the Gauteng department of agriculture and rural development.
Mjonondwane said on February 10 2017, GDARD advertised a waste management tender. The tender invited proposals for the integration and formalisation of the Gauteng waste SMMEs into the mainstream waste management economy.
She said the department received submissions from 10 companies, including Enviro Mobi. Mabe was a director of Enviro Mobi between September 2010 to August 2014.
“He was also a signatory on the business account of KGP Media Holdings, trading as Enviro Mobi. The State alleges that Makwana, Mbassa and Ismail, facilitated the appointment of Enviro Mobi, represented by Pule Mabe. It further alleges that, at the time of the tender award, these companies lacked the necessary expertise. And furthermore that, Enviro Mobi allegedly indicated that it had no affiliation with any governmental official and/or Member of Parliament.
R26-million paid without proof of work done
“From March 2017, Enviro Mobi allegedly submitted invoices worth over R26-million. These… were not accompanied by any supporting documentation detailing services rendered or work done. And despite this, payments were allegedly authorised by Mkwana and Ismail. These invoices allegedly included payments for TukTuks that were paid without any proof of delivery,” said Mjonondwane.
She said the Auditor General found that GDARD misrepresented its annual financial statements. This was for the year ending March 31 2018. It indicated that payments worth over R27-million made by GDARD during the 2017-2018 financial year were made in advance. But they were incorrectly recorded in the GDARD accounting records as expenditure instead of advance payments.
