Executive Mayor of the City of Joburg, Herman Mashaba was informed on 31 January about the arrest of a senior Pikitup official who was caught on CCTV footage stealing a City-owned laptop.
He was arrested by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and is set to appear in the Hillbrow Magistrates’ Court today.
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Pikitup, the City’s waste management company, held its executive committee meeting last week Friday, 26 January, which was concluded at approximately 1pm. Later that afternoon, an official from the MD’s office noticed that the laptop from the boardroom was missing and alerted the MD; security personnel were then notified.
The security personnel reviewed the CCTV footage which showed the official sneaking into the boardroom at around 2pm and removing the laptop and its charger, which were on the boardroom table.
The laptop was reportedly kept in the MD’s boardroom and was used during EXCO meetings for presentations. The laptop contained corporate data, and all the information discussed in the boardroom.
The matter was reported to the City’s Group Forensic and Investigation Service (GFIS) after no one came forward with information after the laptop had been reported stolen.
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The senior official was subsequently called in for questioning by GFIS and confirmed that he took the laptop, which was found in his office.
The official stated that he took the laptop because he needed his personal information from it since he had used it before. However, his claim was disputed by IT officials as the laptop was new and had not been in use prior to its installation in Pikitup’s boardroom.
The senior official subsequently admitted that he had stolen the laptop.
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“I must admit that I am extremely disappointed about these actions, especially in light of our continuous efforts to educate our staff about the negative impact of fraud and corruption,” said Mashaba.
He said that for Johannesburg to be a City of opportunity for all, the rule of law must be upheld and that the days of criminals operating with impunity have come to an end.
“I would also like to encourage people to report any fraud and corruption activities through our 24-hour tip-off hotline on 0800 002 587 or visit the GFIS offices situated at 48 Ameshoff Street in Braamfontein,” Mashaba concluded.
