HAWKS BUSTS SETSOTO OFFICIALS OVER TENDER FRAUD

By Libuseng Nyaka

QWAQWA – Six Setsoto Municipality officials who were members of a toilets infrastructure tender bid evaluation committee, along with two company directors, are expected to appear before the Ficksburg magistrate court on June 11 on charges of fraud, forgery and utterance.

The accused officials are Flory Monamola, Senzo Kunene, Asanda Nontsimi,  Gubevu Albert Maduna, Johny Edward Lynch, Nkosinathi Victor Ngezi and two TML Civic company’s directors   Lawrence Tshikovha and Lesite Patrick Tsoaeli. They were arrested on Friday by Bethlehem based Hawks and appeared in court on the same day where they were all released on bail of R2000. 

The incidents, according to Hawks spokesperson, Captain Christopher Singo, dates back to between October and November 2018, when the officials of the Setsoto municipality working in cahoots with two company directors allegedly defrauded the municipality of R25million.

“Eight suspects and six of them are officials from Setsoto municipality received the fraudulent documents submitted by two directors of a company called TML Civics. The officials continued to process the fraudulent documents and awarded the tender to the company, even though they saw that the documents were fraudulent.

According to Singo, the municipal manager discovered some irregularities and reported the matter to the police who later handed the case over to Hawks for investigations.