The Hawks provincial spokesperson, Nomthandazo Mnisi, says the former Ubuntu Municipality acting Manager and his accomplice, who is a contractor, were busted on Monday by the Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Unit. This is not the first where a local municipality is reported to have been robbed of millions of rands by its employees.

In May this year, a former Umsobomvu municipal official and his wife were busted for allegedly defrauding the municipality of R2.3 million. 

This time the former acting Municipal Manager (MM), Xolani Goodman Malgas (53), and a contractor, Dan Bevin Sonwabo Nkili (58), allegedly defrauded the local municipality in 2016. Mnisi says it is alleged that during 2016 the municipality, with Malgas as the accounting officer, made several payments to various service providers without following proper procurement procedures.

The two appeared in the Victoria West Magistrate's Court on Tuesday and were granted R30 000 bail each with the case postponed to 5 October 2020, pending further investigations.

Mnisi adds that various services included the supply and delivery of several materials to install electricity to 206 households as well as delivering different supplies for road upgrades in the area. The two suspects were arrested in the early hours of Monday by the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team.

The former Umsobomvu municipal official and his wife were also arrested by members of the Hawks serious commercial crime investigation in Colesburg.

Mnisi previously said the former chief financial clerk allegedly stole R2.3 million between 2015 and 2018 and transferred money from the municipal account to him and his wife’s personal bank accounts.

The Hawks in the province have made several arrests linked to corruption and this includes the arrest of the ANC councillor at the Joe Morolong Municipality, which includes Kuruman under the John Taolo Gaetsewe District municipality in June.  

The councillor was arrested by the Hawks on serious corruption allegations.

Also in July this year, the Hawks busted ten suspects, including a 51-year-old former Chief Executive Officer from the Department of Health, Gordon Moncho, and his daughter, the 28-year-old Naledi Moncho, on charges of fraud and money laundering. The suspects allegedly defrauded the Department of Health of R74 million through a tender.

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