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- The Asset Forfeiture Unit has been granted an order against properties valued at R20 million.
- The property belongs to the accused in a Nelson Mandela Bay corruption case.
- The municipality lost more than R100 million to the fraud.
The National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) has been granted an order against properties valued at R20 million belonging to corruption accused in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro.
READ | Five ex-Nelson Mandela Bay metro officials, 3 company directors bust for R26m tender fraud
The Eastern Cape High Court granted the AFU the provisional order in a case relating to the R100-million Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS).
The properties belong to persons and entities charged with corruption, fraud, money laundering, and racketeering in the matter.
Among the accused are former Nelson Mandela Bay metro officials.
The accused are:
- Mhleleli Mlungisi Tshamase;
- Walter Shaidi;
- Fareed Fakir;
- Rukaard Abrahams;
- Andrea Wessels;
- Nadia Gerwel;
- David le Roux;
- Zandisile Joseph Qupe; and
- Thando Ngcolomba.
They were charged together with Le Roux's company, Le Roux Inc.
"It is alleged that they operated as a syndicate to facilitate irregular payments, from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, to various bank accounts belonging to them and their criminal contacts, by submitting fraudulent invoices, which were settled without hesitation by implicated officials who manipulated the municipality's processes," said NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali.
"As part of the conspiracy, private business members accepted laundered money from irregularly appointed service providers who were paid grossly inflated contract amounts."
The NPA is making important progress on prosecuting high-level corruption. South Africa’s Top 10 corruption cases have been identified and enrolled through close collaboration between the ID, AFU, SCCU and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI). pic.twitter.com/jVgFD3rrbk
— NPASouthAfrica (@NPA_Prosecutes) July 8, 2022
Tshamase was the project manager of the IPTS. Shaidi was employed at the municipality as the executive director of infrastructure and engineering, and the IPTS office and project reported to his directorate.
"Corruption is a global problem, which impacts...the poor...directly. It corrodes the ethos of democracy at all levels and sectors of society, depletes scarce resources, and is an example of abuse of position and authority," Eastern Cape AFU head Chris Ndzengu said.
Ndzengu added:
The criminal trial is due to commence in the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha on 18 January 2023.
