By Staff Reporter
BLOEMFONTEIN-Free State Premier Mxolisi Dukwana has received and welcomed resignation of MEC for Social Development Ms Motshedise Koloi.
Her resignation follows her indictment along with two other accused, in relation to an alleged misuse of R150 000 while she was the Executive Mayor of MoqhakaMoqhaka back in 2017.
Dukwana has since appointed the MEC for Small Business and Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Thabo Meeko as interim MEC for Social Development.
Koloi (52) was nabbed alongside a political advisor Serake Joseph Leeuw (62) and a chief director Vusimuzi Rajuili (54) , and they appeared in the Kroonstad magistrate’s court last week Friday. Rajuili and Koloi were released on bail of R10 000 each, while Leeuw was granted bail of R5 000.
The trio allegedly conspired to rip Moqhaka local municipality off R150 000 under the pretext that the money would be used for a sound system at the Nelson Mandela Memorial Lecture in 2017.
This took place when she was the executive mayor for the Moqhaka local municipality, before her tenure in the provincial legislature.
Without mentioning Koloi by name, Free State Hawks spokesperson Zweli Mohobeleli confirmed the arrests, stating that the suspects handed themselves in at the Hawks in Bloemfontein.
He said the three were detained for alleged fraud, corruption, money-laundering, and contravention of the Municipal Financial Management Act 56 of 2003.
“This event never took place despite money having been transacted out of the municipal bank account,” said Mohobeleli.
“Free State head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major-General Mokgadi Bokaba, applauded the investigators working on this case for their hard work which led to the court issuing warrants of arrest.
“She has encouraged them to pursue all matters they are investigating with more vigour.”
The arrests come after the MEC’s houses in Free State and Gauteng were raided by the Hawks in July after allegations of money-laundering and corruption were levelled against her.
During the raids, the Hawks seized documents and electronic devices.
Free State Hawks spokesperson at the time, Kagiso Mogale, said the court granted them a warrant to search for more information from the MEC’s houses to firm up the investigation.
FS MEC Motshidisi Koloi resigns.
“On July 12 2023, members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s serious corruption investigation unit in Bloemfontein were assisted by relevant stakeholders to execute search and seizure operations in properties linked to a Free State member of the executive council,” Mogale said.
The ANC in the province said while it respects the legal tenet that one is presumed innocent until proven guilty, Koloi’s charges are serious enough to taint the organisation’s name.
The ANC Provincial Spokesperson Jabu Mbalula, said:
“We trust and hope that comrade Koloi as a trusted member of this organisation knows the policies of the ANC and knows exactly what to do.”
Meanwhile, Premier Dukwana has thanked former MEC Koloi for her service to the government and the people of the Free State and further stated that, the Free State government will continue to collaborate with the criminal justice system, to turn the tide against malfeasance and corruption, whenever it occurs, wherever it occurs; by
whosoever it is committed.
Koloi will appear again in court on December 4 2023 for copies of the docket. help locate missing woman.
