The Hawks have arrested a senior official from the Matjhabeng municipality in Free State for fraud, corruption, money-laundering, forgery and uttering.
The official was nabbed with a contractor and a consultant in relation to the Nyakallong storm-water system project amounting more than R7-million.
The suspects – Nokwanda Xamesi, 45, Ernest Kgomo, 48, and 46-year-old Tubatsi Masia had their case remanded to August 31 when they appeared at the Welkom magistrate’s court on Monday. The trio was each granted R15 000 bail.
Matjhabeng mayor Thanduxolo Khalipha welcomed the arrest.
“The arrest of these individuals sends a strong message that no one is above the law. It serves as a reminder that we will not hesitate to take decisive action against any individual, regardless of their position or influence, who engages in fraudulent or corrupt practices,” said Khalipha.
“We are today living to the commitment we made during our meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa and former president Thabo Mbeki that we will do anything in our power to fight corruption and state capture.
“We are resolute in our position to rooting out corruption from our municipality and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.
“To prevent any future acts of corruption, we are implementing stricter measures within our municipality. We are working closely with law-enforcement agencies to support their investigations into all matters related to fraud and corruption.”
Hawks spokesperson Captain Christopher Singo said it was reported that during 2017, Matjhabeng appointed two service providers, a contractor and a consultant, for the Nyakallong storm-water system project.
“A 45-year-old suspect, who is a former employee of the municipality, was appointed as a project management unit engineer during the construction,” Singo said.
“During the preliminary audit by the auditor-general, it was discovered that fraudulent payments to the amount of more than R7-million were made to the contractor for the services which were not rendered.”
Singo said it is alleged that the consultant confirmed that the work was done by the contractor in order for the payment to be processed.
“It is further alleged that the project management unit engineer also supported the consultant and approved the payment.”
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