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The former deputy director of Kutama Sinthumule Prison has been convicted of fraud and corruption.
PHOTO: Mario Marco, Getty Images
- Former Deputy Director of Kutama Sinthumule Prison, Clement Raphalalani, has been convicted of two counts of corruption and 25 counts of fraud.
- The case dates back to 2017 and concerns tenders that were awarded irregularly while Raphalalani was the procurement officer at the facility.
- He, like others, irregularly awarded tenders to businesses, including one owned by his girlfriend, police said.
The former deputy director of the Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Center in Limpopo has been convicted on charges of fraud and corruption, according to police.
Spokesman Captain Matimba Maluleke said Clement Raphalalani, 56, was found guilty in Makhado Regional Court on Tuesday on two counts of corruption and 25 counts of fraud.
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The charges date back to 2017, when Raphalalani was the facility’s procurement officer and awarded a R2.7 million tender to Editha Pengson-owned Pengson Manufacturing and Distribution, without following due process.
Maluleke said:
Raphalalani connived with [the owner of the company] Inflate the prices of items purchased for installation in exchange for a payment of R369 380 that was transferred from Pengson Manufacturing to Clemson Carriers, which was owned by Raphalalani.
“The Hawks’ investigations also revealed that in the same year (2017), Raphalalani also illegally awarded another bid valued at R1 071 831 to Vhalenda Zwashu Trading Enterprise, owned by his 42-year-old girlfriend Delicia Sadiki,” he added.
Maluleke said it had been established that Raphalalani transferred R132 500 to Sadiki’s personal bank account.
It was also discovered that he, along with Thabo Makamane, who was also a deputy director of the facility, had irregularly awarded a tender for R3 588 707 to Durafoarm Distributors CC in exchange for R569 500.
Raphalalani, Makamane, Pengson and Sadiki were arrested during a sting operation by the Hawks’ serious corruption investigation unit in December 2018.
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Maluleke said:
The Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Facility suffered a loss of more than 18 million rand due to these corrupt activities.
Raphalalani was convicted of two counts of corruption and 25 counts of fraud, while Clemson Carriers was found guilty of one count of corruption and 10 counts of fraud.
Pengson Manufacturing and Distribution was found guilty of two counts of corruption and 25 counts of fraud.
“The accused will be sentenced on September 15, 2020. Makamane has pleaded not guilty and will appear in court on October 22, 2020 for trial,” Maluleke said.
Sadiki was expected to appear in court on September 15, 2020 for a settlement with the prosecution, he added.
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