Former African National Congress (ANC) spokesperson Pule Mabe is among seven suspects, including high-ranking officials and company directors, who are expected to appear at the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
The suspects handed themselves to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit in Gauteng on Wednesday morning, 16 October.
PULE MABE TO APPEAR IN COURT FOR CORRUPTION
Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo said the arrest of the seven individuals follows a forensic report by the Specialised Investigating Unit (SIU) which discovered that in October 2016, the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued a tender requesting proposals to integrate and formalise waste operatives and waste into the mainstream waste management economy.
A tender of around R27 million was then awarded to Enviro-Mobi in March 2017.
Mbambo said the contract agreement between the department and Enviro-Mobi stipulated that the department may consider paying on the condition that 50% of the work has been completed and no upfront payments may be made to the service provider.
“During the investigation, it was established that the Chief Director and Chief Financial Officer processed and paid over R25 million to Enviro-Mobi for 200 motorized three-wheelers, though all goods were still in possession of the service provider.
“It was also discovered that the service provider later issued a letter of demand to the department demanding a further payment of over R9 million for safekeeping, storage, and ancillary services relating to the fleet. Also, the company failed to disclose in its bid proposal its affiliation with the politician who was a member of Parliament (MP) and misrepresented to the department that it had supplied the fleet and fleet-related services,” Mbambo explained.
A case was registered at the Johannesburg Central police station in October 2020, prompting the Hawks’ investigation.
The suspects will be charged with fraud, theft, contravention of PFMA, and the Prevention of Organized Crime Act (POCA).
AS HIGH-PROFILE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ARRESTED FOR FRAUD AND THEFT, DO YOU THINK THE LAW WILL TAKE ITS COURSE IN THIS CASE?
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