This was revealed in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday (2/9) when David Senekal, 31, Caroline Maduna, 39, Kenneth Mahobe, 35, Hlawutelo Baloyi, 29, Pule Masilo, 36, Andries Maduna, 48, and Sibusiso Tshabalala, 46, appeared for their bail application. The proceedings were postponed to Monday (7/9), with all seven accused remanded in custody.

They face charges of fraud, theft, tampering with essential infrastructure, and money laundering. They were arrested on Friday, 21 August, following an investigation into alleged illegal electricity reconnections.

Political Killings Task Team Det. Serg. Nontobeko Shange testified that the R9.9m figure was calculated after investigators examined bank accounts linked to the seven. 

Six municipal clients were allegedly misled into believing they were making payments to the municipality, when the money was instead diverted into bank accounts linked to the accused. The state alleged that the funds were distributed among members of the purported syndicate for their personal use.

“The six properties in question have a combined outstanding debt of about R8.3m to the municipality,” acting Emfuleni municipality spokesperson Lucky Shashaoka said earlier. “The municipality is very, very concerned about these allegations, particularly because some of the officials involved are very junior municipal employees.

“If people at that level can allegedly operate a syndicate involving millions of rands, it shows that we need to strengthen our systems. There need to be serious systems in place to make sure that people are held accountable for their actions.”

The state opposed bail, citing concerns that the accused could interfere with witnesses if released. It said the accused allegedly still had access to municipal client records and could potentially trace or locate witnesses.

Some witnesses are also known to the accused and live in the same vicinity. It further argued that the seriousness of the charges and the possibility of lengthy prison sentences could create a risk that the accused may evade trial.

Gauteng NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the investigation remains ongoing and additional arrests and charges have not been ruled out.

OFM News/Zenande Mpame cvs

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