The trio, including former mayor Mandla Mamba, CFO Vincent Mkhefa, and Caroline Nketu, were found guilty on charges of fraud, contravening the tender procurement Act and money laundering in August 2021. The trio was involved in the siphoning off at least R350 000 from the struggling municipality's coffers. The former mayor is accused of sourcing this third person as a service provider and the former CFO then approved the bulk of money in two payments on separate occasions for work not done.

The trio was nabbed after a whistleblower blew the whistle on their shady deal.

The former mayor is the first accused, the former CFO is the second accused whilst the service provider is the third accused in the matter which emanates from a decade ago. The crime relates to the installation of equipment in the parks.

The state had alleged that incorrect procurement procedures were followed, the quotations were inflated and kickbacks to the employees of the municipality were imposed.

The former mayor is said to have sourced a service provider on 2011-03-24 and requested her to submit a quotation for playground equipment. In this crime, there was an initial service provider who managed to deliver on their job and got paid R32 900. But in a twist of events the mayor, during the same period that accused number 3 was a service provider (Qhubekani Women Trading), also requested her to provide quotations for the same tender contract and two quotations were then submitted for the amount of R198 500 each.

The former CFO, who is accused number 2, authorised these payments and during 2011-05-26 an amount of R165 600 was paid to accused number 3 and again on 2011-06-23, when an amount of R198 500 was paid to her by the municipality.

According to the state, no services were rendered for both payments by accused 3 and it was also discovered that on two occasions, accused 3 paid R1000 respectively to accused 1.

In August 2021 the accused were convicted - the former mayor was found guilty on a charge of fraud and Contravention of Section  4 (a) and (b), read with Sections 1 and 8 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, Act 121 of 1998 - Money Laundering; the former CFO was found guilty on a charge of fraud and Contravention of Sections 1,60, 61, 62, & 63 of the Local Government Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003; and the service provider was found guilty on a charge of fraud and Contravention of Section 4 (a) and (b), read with Sections 1 and 8 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, Act 121 of 1998 - Money Laundering.

The trio was, however,  acquitted on the two charges of corruption.

OFM News