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By Jonisayi Maromo 
7h ago
Pretoria – Two Limpopo businessmen, Jack Maake and Matome Prince Mathole, appeared before the Mankweng Magistrates Court on charges of corruption, the National Tax Authority (NPA) said on Tuesday.
Limpopo NPA spokesman Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said the Hawks arrested Maake, 44, and Mathole, 34, after they allegedly tried to bribe an undercover investigator from the Special Investigation Unit (SIU).
“The couple was arrested in November 2019 by the Directorate of Priority Crimes (Hawks). This is after an SIU investigator was allegedly bribed to exclude part of a report that recommended that his company be criminally charged with corruption.
“They also asked the SIU member to reduce the amount to be returned,” Malabi-Dzhangi said.
“There were findings that indicated that the service provider should return R3 million and face criminal charges for a tender that was not attended even though they presented documents to the Mopani municipality for payments.
“The suspects met with the investigator and gave him a bribe of 300,000 rand, which led to his immediate arrest.”
Malabi-Dzhangi said the matter was postponed to March 15 and would be heard in the Commercial Crimes Court.
“The prosecution, headed by lawyer Dalton Tshinyani, requested that the matter be postponed until March 15, 2021 and the case was transferred to the Specialized Court for Commercial Crimes, which is located in the South African High Court: Limpopo Division.
“The Superior Court has reserved two courtrooms that will function as a Specialized Court for Commercial Crimes in the province as of March 1, 2021.”
Malabi-Dzhangi said that Matome and Mathole are released on bail of R50,000 each.
Last year, the Hawks’ serious corruption investigation team arrested a 48-year-old prosecutor for alleged corruption in Thohoyandou, Limpopo.
The suspect, who worked at the Thohoyandou Magistrates Court, was arrested after he allegedly demanded a “bonus” of R6,000 from a suspect who had been charged with reckless and negligent driving, the Hawks Limpopo spokesman said at the time, Captain Matimba Maluleke.
African News Agency (ANA)
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