Investigations are still ongoing and more arrests have not been ruled out.
For illustrative purposes. Picture: iStock
A 42-year-old former Emfuleni municipal fleet manager is set to appear before the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges of fraud and corruption.
According to the South African Police Service (Saps) spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, the individual was arrested by the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) in Gauteng.
Former Emfuleni manager nabbed for tender fraud
Mathe said the arrest is linked to the alleged irregular awarding and implementation of a municipal vehicle fleet tender in which approximately R16 million was paid to a service provider for the delivery of 18 municipal vehicles, including UD trucks and bakkies.
“Investigations revealed that only seven of the contracted vehicles were delivered to the municipality, despite full payment allegedly having been made to the service provider.”
Investigations are still ongoing and more arrests have not been ruled out.
Fraud cases in Emfuleni
Allegations of fraud and corruption are not new to the municipality.
In a separate matter, the case against 25-year-old Janitha van Reenen-Coetzee is still ongoing. She is linked to the killing of Emfuleni Local Municipality accountant and whistleblower, Martha Rantsofu.
Van Reenen-Coetzee’s bail application has been denied multiple times, with the state believing she is a flight risk.
She is facing a charge of fraud involving approximately R424 000 that was allegedly stolen from the Emfuleni Local Municipality.
Accusations against Van Reenen-Coetzee
It is alleged that Coetzee misrepresented herself as an independent agent who could help residents obtain discounts on outstanding municipal accounts.
According to the NPA, the victims would provide her with money to make discounted payments to the municipality on their behalf. However, the funds allegedly never reached the municipality.
It is also alleged that she submitted claims to the municipality on behalf of the victims. It is further alleged that the municipality paid her a total of approximately R424 000, which was never paid to the intended beneficiaries.
The alleged fraud came to light when the then financial officer of the Emfuleni Local Municipality, Rantsofu, who has since been killed, identified suspicious claims totalling R424 000 and reported the matter to her manager.
