THE Hawks in the Free state has issued a warrant of arrest for a Maluti-a-Phofung municipal manager after he failed to appear in the Phuthaditjhaba Magistrates Court on Monday, 1 August.
The municipal manager was supposed to appear, together with two security company directors Thabiso Benjamin Sekhosana (55) and daughter Dimakatso Skhosana (29), for alleged corruption amounting to R57 million.
The three are facing charges of fraud, corruption, uttering, forgery and contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act.
This after the manager authorised Kill Crime security as a service provider without a tender being advertised. An estimated amount of R57 million was paid to the service provider irregularly over a period of two years. The two directors were released on R150 000 bail and placed under house arrest.
Magistrate D Kettledas said corruption was a serious offence.
“The proper supply chain management procedure has never been followed. The public funds were misused, which led to residents struggling to get proper service delivery. Corruption is negatively impacting the economy, hence it should be regarded as a serious offence,” said Kettledas.
Speaking to Daily Sun outside court, Hawks spokesman Captain Christopher Singo said the chief financial officer of the municipality wrote several letters to the manager, advising him to advertise the tender but he failed to do so.
Then R57 million was paid to the service provider irregularly.
“The matter was reported to the Hawks’ serious corruption investigation team based in Bethlehem for further investigation. That culminated to the duo handing themselves over to investigating officers on Sunday, 31 July, and being charged,” said Singo, adding that more arrests were imminent.
Maluti-a-Phofung has been regarded as a cash-trapped and dysfunctional municipality for years. It is ranking first position countrywide with an Eskom debt of R6,5 billion.
The case was remanded to Friday, 30 September.
