A Matjhabeng municipal employee and two service providers were arrested by the Welkom Hawks on charges which include fraud and forgery.
They appeared in the Welkom Magistrates’ Court on Monday (10/07) and were each released on R15 000 bail.
Nokwanda Veronica Xamesi (45), the municipal employee, and the two service providers, Ernest Thapelo Kgomo (48) and Tubatsi Masia (46), were arrested on 9 July and 10 July, respectively, in Bloemfontein and Welkom by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team.
It was reported that during 2017, the Matjhabeng Local Municipality appointed two service providers, a contractor and a consultant, for the Nyakallong storm water system project.
According to court documents Xamesi was appointed as a project management unit engineer during the construction. 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. It is alleged that the consultant confirmed that the work was done by the contractor so that the payment could be processed. It is further alleged that the project management unit engineer also supported the consultant and approved the payment.
The subsequent investigation culminated in the high-profile arrests over the weekend. The case against Xamesi, Kgomo, and Masia has been remanded to 31 August.
Cllr Thanduxolo Khalipha, the executive mayor of the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, welcomes the arrest of one of the senior officials of the municipality, and also the contractor and a consultant in relation to Nyakallong storm-water project.
“The charges to these arrests include fraud, forgery, uttering and money laundering, and are considered serious crimes that undermine the integrity of our institution and democracy, and have a detrimental impact on our community,” says Tshediso Tlali, spokesperson in the office of the executive mayor.
“As promised when we took office, we remain committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accountability within our organisation. We understand the erosion of trust that such incidents can cause among the people of Matjhabeng, and we want to assure the community that we are taking this matter seriously. The arrests of these individuals send a strong message that no one is above the law,” says Khalipha.
