Ghost workers, tender fraud and collusion keep NPA on its toes in Limpopo

Ghost workers, tender fraud and collusion are some of the major crimes keeping the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on its toes in different courts across Limpopo.

These cases, committed between 2014 to 2020, took place in one Limpopo local municipality, one state-owned utility and one provincial department under Premier Stan Mathabatha’s administration.

During a Presidential Social Sector Summit held in Boksburg, a fortnight ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the fight against corruption was now gaining momentum. He told delegates he was thrilled that hundreds of cases were already finalised by the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit in the NPA.

He said the NPA had achieved a 90% conviction rate and that 380 government officials were convicted for corruption-related crimes in last financial year.

The Director for Public Prosecution in Limpopo, advocate Mukhali Ivy Thenga, told the media yesterday six people, including a service provider and officials at the Lepelle Nkumpi municipality will appear at the Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crime Court on 29 September in connection with a tender fraud amounting to R2.7 million.

She said the case was in connection with a tender to install air conditioners and sound systems at the Lepelle-Nkumpi Community Hall.

“The service provider had since been paid all the contract money for a work not done.”

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Thenga said in another incident, two people accused of fraud and corruption face a corruption case after they allegedly connived to defraud the Lepelle Northern Water Board of more than R17 million.

The money was for a removal of waste and was paid up while the job was not exactly done. The incident, Thenga said took place between 2018 and 2020.

In the third incident, she said 32 people, including a control prosecutor, his wife and 20 ghost workers face 392 charges of fraud, money laundering, contravention of the prevention of organised crime and forgery after defrauding the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs of nearly R1 million.

Thenga said the prosecutor, now on suspension, had allegedly connived with Thembalethu Development, which worked as an implementing agent for the department. The prosecutor and his and wife had allegedly planted ghost workers and defraud the department a total of R979 354 for community work programme) in the Makhado area, Venda.

The company, according to Thenga, drew a monthly salary from the department on behalf of the ghost workers whereby the prosecutor demanded R1 500 from each.

The prosecutor, his wife and the ghost workers will appear in court on 18 October.