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Johannesburg – A senior Free State government official appeared in court on Tuesday for allegedly defrauding the Moqhaka municipality of R11m, the Hawks said.
Mokete Victor Duma, 46, and his co-accused, Samuel Shabalala, 41, were each granted R5 000 bail by the Kroonstad Magistrate’s Court following their arrest earlier in the day, the Hawks said in a statement.
They face 127 charges, the main one being fraud. The other charges are alleged contraventions of the Municipal Finance Management Act.
Duma was manager of the Moqhaka municipality, based in Kroonstad, and Shabalala was a service provider to the municipality, when the alleged crimes were committed. Duma is currently head of the Free State co-operative governance department.
He allegedly authorised an R11m payment to Shabalala, who had undertaken to build an airport for Kroonstad after claiming to have the backing of international funders.
In 2012, Duma appeared in the same court after he allegedly took out a multi-million-rand loan for a grader and a landfill compactor for the municipality in 2009.
The municipality never got the machines, but paid the instalments on the loan until Duma's successor contacted the bank and had the contract cancelled.
Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Robert Netshiunda said that case was withdrawn due to a lack of evidence.
Duma left the municipality to work in the Free State premier’s office.
The current matter was postponed to October 30.
