42 suspects in the dock for R85-million SAPS fraud

The case in which 42 suspects – including police officers – are accused of looting R85-million from the state has been postponed to next year for further investigation.

The suspects appeared in the Pretoria magistrate’s court on Tuesday to answer to charges related to tender irregularities in the police’s supply chain management division.

“The irregularities pertain to the awarding of the marking and de-marking of SAPS vehicles,” said investigating directorate spokesperson Sindisiwe Twala.

The marking and de-marking of police vehicles were valued at R56-million and cover quoting-related procurement to favour specific companies was valued at R29-million.

Of the 42 suspects, 22 are serving members of the SAPS, six are either retired or have resigned from the service and the rest are service providers.

Police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe said all accused faced a range of charges including corruption, fraud, money laundering, theft and perjury.

“Each of the accused is on R5 000 bail.”

Mathe said the 42nd suspect was a lieutenant-colonel who handed himself over at the Silverton police station.

She said the initial investigations uncovered massive looting of state funds through procurement irregularities and fraudulent processing of contracts to unlawfully award the same supplier which had numerous companies registered on the supplier database.

Mathe said the tender case dated back to 2018 when police commissioner General Khehla Sitole established a team to look into allegations of tender irregularities in the awarding of the marking and de-marking of SAPS vehicles after complaints and allegations of corruption were brought to his attention.

Sitole has commended the relentless efforts of the special national anti-corruption team in working towards uprooting all forms of criminality within the ranks of the service.

“We are pleased in the manner in which this case has reached an advanced stage. Over a two-year period, we are now standing at 42 arrests including our own members. We hope this will serve as a deterrence to those who continue to collude in looting state coffers” said Sitole.

Investigating directorate spokesperson Sindisiwe Twala said the alleged criminal incidents had happened more than 200 times between the period of between April 2016 and 2019.

“The quotation allegations relate to contracts for the installation of palisade fencing, repair of state motor vehicles, gardening services, servicing of forklifts and painting services.”

Investigating directorate head Hermione Cronje said that “South Africans should expect that more heads will roll in the next few days”.