It has been close to a year since the uncovering of what appeared to be systematic looting and corruption at Mhlathuze Water, a government-owned entity located in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal’s north coast.
The alleged corruption, which led to the entity losing more than R37-million in underhand financial dealings, dates back to 2016.
A forensic investigation commissioned by the Mhlathuze Water board in 2021 made damning findings on the entity’s financial affairs, detailing among others how former CEO Mthokozisi Duze had operated a clandestine operation influencing the awarding of lucrative tenders to his hand-picked service providers, a claim that Duze has denied.
The investigation, conducted by Leo Sanders of the Forensic Investigation, Risk Advisory and Litigation Support, also put former chief financial officer Babongile Mnyandu and lawyer Sthembelo Ralph Mhlanga at the centre of the loot.
The trio are currently facing a plethora of charges.
They are joined in the dock by former operative Sipho Khumalo and a director at the provincial premier’s office Nonhlanhla Mkhize. The accused are currently out on bail and are expected back in court in July.
Despite placing her life in harms way, the entity’s board chairperson Thabi Shange has told Sunday World that she has no regrets of having taken the moral stand.
“It was a civic duty, I had to take the moral stand, but the fightback has been very strong. Everything ended up being personalised to me as the board chairperson,” Shange said.
“They were people who were coming asking that I should squash the investigation, but I told them up to the law-enforcement agencies.”
The forensic investigation emanated from a whistleblower who alleged that Duze had treated the entity as his own fiefdom circumventing supply chain management protocols in favour of Mhlanga’s legal firm trading as Mhlanga Incorporated.
The company was unduly appointed to provide legal services to the water board. The investigation also found that the approved budget for the work was increased by 640%.
On the safety concerns of the whistleblower, Shange said the board is not leaving anything to chance.
“At the moment, the whistleblower is keeping a low profile. We are also looking into whistleblower protection should things get very tough. But his safety is incognito,” she said.
“Mabaso and Mkhize on the other hand are alleged to have embarked on a crusade to foil the release of the forensic probe by threatening Shange.
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