On March 11, former housing and planning officer at Lesedi Local Municipality (LLM) Tshepo Pule Malekane was convicted of fraud of over R100m in the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said, “Malekane operated and defrauded people in Lesedi Municipal District between January and December 2020.
“His modus operandi started when he generated a fraudulent power of attorney by forging the municipal’s manager’s signature, and instructed the conveyancing law firms to transfer ownership of 78 properties that belong to LLM to himself, and sold them off at a cost that is below or above the value of the property.”
The properties in question are vacant lands owned by LLM.
When the municipality discovered the fraudulent activities, an investigation was immediately launched and Malekana was arrested in March 2021, after the proof was obtained and he was linked to the fraudulent operations.
Malekane was employed by LLM between 2017 and 2019.
He is currently released on R3 000 bail, pending sentencing.
Sentencing has been postponed to April 26.
“The majority of the properties that were part of the fraud transactions have been re-registered back to the municipality,” Mahanjana said.
