The allegations in the matter relate to the company known as Superior Quality Trading, which also trades as Rekgonne Community Projects, against which a criminal case was opened by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation.

During the investigations of the Estina case, it was discovered that there were also irregularities in the financial flow analysis of a certain account. According to a police statement, large amounts of money have allegedly been deposited into a bank account belonging to the former Chief Financial Officer for the Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
 
In June 2014, Rekgonne Community Projects entered into an agreement with this department to implement all projects on behalf of the department for a period of two years. The Hawks spokesperson, Katlego Mogale, previously confirmed to OFM News during January 2012 to 1 December 2016, the department is said to have paid over R244 million to Rekgonne Community Projects, as well as into some of the suspects' bank accounts.

The National Prosecution Authority's (NPA) team will be led by Advocate Mvuseni Ponye. Judge Craig Musi is set to preside over the matter.

Once either an arrest warrant or a summons to appear is issued, a case enters the pre-trial stage, during which the Pre-Trial Chamber judges determine whether or not there is sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial.

The suspects in the matter include Rekgonne Community Projects’ sole director Malikomo Mohapi, former Free State Agriculture HOD Peter Thabethe, former Chief Financial Officer Seipati Sylvia Dlamini, and other government officials.  

Whilst OFM News previously reported that over R220 million earmarked for Estina to assist upcoming farmers in Vrede was looted from the province, with none of the intended beneficiaries seeing a single cent and some of the money deposited into Rekgonne Community Projects, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phaladi Shuping corrected information that stated the project was directly linked to Estina, explaining that investigators only stumbled across it whilst they were investigating the dairy farm saga.

OFM News