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The Prime Minister of the Eastern Cape, Oscar Mabuyane.
Masi Losi / The Times / Gallo Images / Getty Images
- EC Prime Minister Oscar Mabuyane has welcomed the arrest of two Nelson Mandela metropolitan municipal officials who are among nine people charged with fraud and money laundering.
- The Hawks estimate that the alleged corruption is worth R56.4 million, while the potential loss is estimated at R200 million.
- The charges refer to alleged irregular appointments and price inflation in two projects in the municipality.
Eastern Cape Prime Minister Oscar Mabuyane welcomed the arrest of two Nelson Mandela metropolitan municipal officials who are among the nine people charged with fraud and money laundering in the amount of R56.4 million.
Zandisile Qupe, 49, Thando Ngcolomba, 60, Mhleleli Tshamase, 54, Walter Shaidi, 65, Nadia Gerwel, 55, Fareed Fakir, 51, Davit le Roux, 45, and Rukaard Abrahams, 30, received a bond of between R5,000 and 100,000 rand at Port Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Friday. They face multiple charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering related to two projects in the municipality.
The ninth defendant in the case, Mongameli Bobani, has died.
The Hawks estimate the loss at R56.4 million, while the potential loss is estimated at around R200 million.
“Among them are two former metropolitan city officials Nelson Mandela, two influential community officials and five businessmen. [They] he will be charged along with six legal entities, “said Hawks spokesman Lt. Col. Philani Nkwalase.
READ | Nelson Mandela Bay R73m Bid Fraud Case: 9 Released on Bail
Nkwalase said the process for choosing service providers for the projects was alleged to be irregular and their prices allegedly inflated.
“It is further alleged that influential officials colluded with municipal officials and controlled decision-making in the appointment of specific individuals to critical municipal positions. This was allegedly done to influence hiring processes, as well as the appointments of willing entities. to promote the interests of the union, “said Nkwalase.
Qupe is special adviser to Oscar Mabuyane, the Prime Minister of the Eastern Cape.
Arrests welcome
“After Mr. Qupe was released on bail by the trial court, Prime Minister Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane received his request for leave of absence so that he would have time to address the case he now faces. Prime Minister Mabuyane has accepted Qupe’s request for leave of absence and Prime Minister Mabuyane will review this in due course within the labor relations framework that regulates professional incidents in the public service, “the statement read.
The arrests are part of ongoing investigations since 2017.
“This now forms the second stage of our investigation; in the first stage in April 2017, we arrested six suspects that included two company directors, one entity, one municipal official and one person from the province’s Rugby Union. from the Eastern Cape, “Nkwalase said.
