The charges against the former Mayor of J.B. Marks municipality, Kgotso Khumalo, and accomplices are piling up the longer the investigation of the Hawks continues.
The regional spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority, Henry Mamothame, has announced that illegal payments were carried out from the J.B. Marks municipality’s trust account that is held at a local attorney in Potchefstroom. It is alleged that the North-West University and the Programme for Community Development paid about R5 million into the trust account.
The attorney was instructed to carry out various payments, which includes an R208 000 mayoral committee contribution towards the funeral of the late MEC for Agriculture, Duma Ndleleni, who passed away on 23 November 2018.
“It was also discovered that R200 000 was paid directly into the account of one of the accused. From this amount R64 218 was paid to an institution where Khumalo’s relative was a student”, says Mamothame. He also adds that it is alleged that false invoices were generated to carry out more fictitious payments. Khumalo also allegedly instructed the attorney to make a payment to an NGO that did not exist.
The theft and fraud case against the former Mayor of J.B. Marks municipality, Cyril Henry, and Mohau Shuping, is postponed to 11 August for pre-trial conferencing. The postponement was set to allow the Regional Court President to appoint a magistrate who will preside on the matter. The trio is facing eight charges of theft and fraud from municipality funds.
