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The defendant will appear in court again on October 30.
Tiro Ramatlhatse, Gallo Images, Sowetan
The Hawks arrested the director of a 48-year-old company that allegedly defrauded the municipality of OR Tambo district in the Eastern Cape out of more than R4.8 million.
According to the Hawks, the arrest of Phumza Phoshee Gambula followed an intensive three-month investigation led by the prosecution into Covid-19 “awareness services.”
“It is alleged that the company and its sole director intentionally sent fraudulent documents to various municipalities alleging that she conducted door-to-door awareness campaigns for the prevention and containment of [the] The Covid-19 pandemic in the rural communities of Port St Johns, King Sabatha Dalindyebo and the local municipalities of Mhlonto, “said Hawks spokesman Captain Katlego Mogale.
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Mogale said that it later billed the three municipalities for a sum of more than R4.8 million for services that were partially provided with fraudulent supporting documents.
Between March and June 2020, during the strictest levels of the Covid-19 lockdown, Gambula’s company, Phathilizwi Training Institute, submitted two invoices for R3 036 000 and R1 821 600 to the municipality.
The Serious Business Crime Investigation team arrested her Thursday morning.
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Gambula and his company appeared before the Mthatha Regional Court Specialized Commercial Crimes Court on two counts of fraud.
The spokesman for the National Tax Authority, Sipho Ngwema, said that Gambula was released on bail of 20,000 rand.
Ngwema said the case was postponed until October 30 for further investigation and transfer to the Regional Court.
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