Former Nketoana local municipality mayor Mandla Bonifas Mamba has been sentenced for corruption and fraud.
Mamba is already serving time in prison for another case of fraud.
Mamba was involved in a scheme that appointed service providers without following proper municipal procedures.
Acts of corruption, fraud and money-laundering have cost the municipality at least R2-million between March 2010 and June 2011.
This led to the Bethlehem regional court sentencing Mamba to four years imprisonment suspended for five years for corruption, and four years imprisonment suspended for five years for fraud.
In December 2021, the Bethlehem Commercial Crimes Court sentenced the former mayor to eight years imprisonment for money-laundering and fraud.
His co-accused and former chief financial officer at Nketoana local municipality, Vincent Mkhefa, was also sentenced to eight years imprisonment in 2021.
Mkhefa headlined the new charges as he held multiple executive positions at the time including chief financial officer, acting municipal manager, and head of technical services.
During his multifocal reign, he allegedly appointed the Kabelo Laundry Services without following correct procurement procedures.
The company was expected to offer skills development workshops, however, the service was never provided.
Kabelo Laundry Services was fined R200 000 suspended for five years while the owner of the company, Ntsoaki Mirriam Molapo, received six years for fraud suspended for five years.
Molapo was ordered to pay R200 000 in monthly installments. She has been granted R5 000 bail.
She was also sentenced to six years imprisonment for corruption and a further six years suspended for five years for money-laundering.
Mkhefa also appointed Mamatse Trading owned by Mandla Mrwebi, also without following correct procurement procedures.
The company was meant to install electricity meters for the municipality.
Mrwebi was sentenced to six years for fraud suspended and was ordered to pay R200 000 in monthly installments. He was released on R5 000 bail.
Mamatse Trading received a R200 000 fine suspended for five years for fraud.
Free State Hawks spokesperson Fikiswa Matoti said the matters were brought to the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation team in Bloemfontein and culminated in the convictions.
“Mkhefa was sentenced to six years imprisonment suspended for five years which runs concurrently with the eight years imprisonment imposed by the court on 7 December 2021,” said Matoti.
“He was sentenced to eight years imprisonment for corruption, four years of which shall run concurrently with eight years imprisonment imposed on 7 December 2021.
“He was already in prison serving the sentence imposed on 7 December 2021.”
Matoti said Major-General Mokgadi Bokaba, the Free State provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime, welcomed the sentencing and commended investigating officers.
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