Three men, aged between 44 and 59 years, are expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 15 May. They are facing a charge of fraud relating to the building of low-cost housing in the Nala Local Municipality in the Free State.
This followed their arrest by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation detectives after intensive investigations.
Lt. Col Zweli Mohobeleli, provincial spokesperson for the Haws, said the suspects were arrested in Bothaville, Welkom, and Bloemfontein, respectively. The suspects hold the positions of development officer, consulting engineer, and project manager. Mohobeleli said the men will face charges of fraud, theft, and money laundering.
In May 2021, the Department of Human Settlements appointed a service provider to build 47 foundations in Bothaville as part of the first phase of the project. Over R1,1 million was paid to the service provider. However, it was later discovered that only 14 foundations were built despite the department being billed for 47.
A Hawks investigation into the matter pointed to a collaboration between the service provider, development officer, consulting engineer, and project manager. Evidence to this effect was presented before the prosecution. As a result, warrants for their arrest were issued,” said Mohobeleli, adding that the arrest of the service provider is imminent.
