Former HOD, Mpho Mokoena, was sentenced to 10 years for corruption and five years for Contravention of the Public Finance Management Act at the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court. 

However, according to the National Prosecuting Authority' spokesperson, Phaladi Shuping, the sentence against the 61-year-old was wholly suspended after he pleaded guilty to all charges levelled against him.

In the 2010/2011 financial year, the department had failed to spend a conditional grant to a tune of R1.4 billion and, as a result, the department was about to forfeit the unspent budget. 

Following threats to appropriate the unspent budget, the provincial department then promptly and illegally spent at least R500 million on various local contractors who did not perform their duties or had only performed half of the job.

Phaladi says the state had alleged that when spending R5 000 on advance payment for equipment and materials, it formed part of a fraudulent scheme which was conceived by the officials in the department to disburse substantial sums of money to selected suppliers and contractors, to avoid the funds becoming unspent conditional allocation.

In his plea, Mokoena stated that the department advertised a tender in 2010 to build RDP houses for the community. The tender was, however, cancelled. The National Department of Human Settlement had allocated approximately R1.4 billion to the department for the construction of low-cost housing in the Free State.

"In his plea, Mokoena stated that the department advertised a tender in 2010 to build RDP houses for the community. The tender was, however, cancelled. The National Department of Human Settlement had allocated approximately R1.4 billion to the department for construction of low-cost housing the Free State," Phaladi adds.

Mokoena pleaded guilty to both counts and admitted that he failed to prevent unauthorised, irregular and fruitless expenditure and losses resulting from criminal conduct.

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