The Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (Hawks) have arrested a senior official of the OR Tambo District Municipality in relation to tender fraud worth more than R160 million.
At the time of writing, the Hawks were still tracing the whereabouts of two more senior officials of the same municipality who were not at the district municipality’s offices in Myezo, Mthatha, at the time of the arrest of their colleague this morning, July 31.
Hawks provincial spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said the arrests emanate from irregular awarding of tenders to various service providers dating back to 2019.
“It is alleged that at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the municipality decided to advertise tenders for constructing reservoirs that will bring water closer to the people.
“In 2020, a complaint was lodged with the Hawks where the complainant alleged that some of the tenders were irregularly awarded and payments were made to successful bidders without doing the work while some had partially done the work,” Mgolodela said.
According to Mgolodela, an investigation ensued upon an investigation of the complaint, and the Hawks concluded that the high-ranking officials of the district municipality connived with the service providers in siphoning the funds from the municipality’s coffers, which led to today’s arrest.
Mgolodela said the officials were being charged with fraud, corruption, contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act and contravening the Combating of Organized Crime Act.
Mgolodela said the suspect and his co-accused would appear in court as soon as the other two were arrested.
