The Hawks in Western Cape have arrested former Cederberg Municipality ANC councillor Danville Smith.
Smith, who is charged with fraud and corruption, handed himself over to the Hawks on Thursday after a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
Said Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani in a statement on Friday: “Smith, 39, handed himself to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team on Thursday, August 25 2022, after failing to appear in court on the 16 August 2022 on charges of fraud and corruption.”
Hani said Smith’s arrest comes after the Hawks’ investigation into irregularities in the Cederberg Municipality, where Smith served as councillor until 2016, implicated him in wrongdoing.
“Smith and his co-accused Mr. Blankenberg, who was the district committee member for Ward 5 in Lambert’s Bay and Clanwilliam Municipality, are facing charges relating to alleged corruption that occurred during the planning of Mandela Day celebrations in Lambert’s Bay on July 18 2016.”
The duo are accused of pocketing R25 000 of a R28 200 supposed fraudulent invoice they issued to the municipality pretending to represent a company. The owners of the company reportedly kept the R3 200, despite not having rendered the service.
According to media reports, Blankenberg also faces charges for not disclosing that his brother was a director in one of the companies that were paid nearly R30 000.
Smith and his ally are expected to appear in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Bellville on Monday, September 5.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
