HAWKS POUNCE ON MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS FOR ALLEGED CORRUPTION

Hawks have vowed to arrest municipal officials for alleged corruption.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, otherwise known as the Hawks, have extended the long arm of the law with recent arrests of senior municipal officials for graft.

Several municipal offices in the province have been surprisingly visited by the Hawks whose raids resulted in the arrests of corrupt officials. 

In the latest developments, the crime busting unit has

arrested a 40-year-old former Legal Manager of the Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality in connection with allegations of fraud and corruption.

The arrest comes after the unit actively investigated an alleged tender fraud and corruption within local municipalities. These investigations are focused on dismantling suspected collusion between municipal officials and service providers aimed at manipulating procurement processes for personal benefit.

It is alleged that between 2016 and 2017, the suspect, while serving as Legal Manager, unlawfully facilitated the appointment of a service provider to supply software known as Ripjar to a municipal division “crime intelligence”.

Further allegations suggested that the suspect knowingly approved the appointment despite the service provider not meeting the prescribed requirements in terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), thereby allegedly compromising procurement processes.

As a result, the municipality is said to have suffered a financial prejudice of approximately R686 000.

The suspect is facing charges of fraud and corruption in the Groblersdal Magistrate’s Court.

The Acting Provincial Head of the Hawks in Limpopo, Brigadier Lesiba Meshack Malapile, reaffirmed the unit’s firm stance against corruption, stating that,

“We are unapologetic in pursuing justice.The Hawks will expose, dismantle and bring to book all those who seek to loot state resources.”

Elsewhere in the Molemole local municipality, the

Hawks have arrested four senior officials for alleged fraud and corruption. 

The suspects aged between 35 and 60 were arrested following an intensive investigation into alleged irregularities in municipal procurement processes.

It is alleged that the officials were involved in the omission of proper tender procedures, in contravention of the PMFA.

Hawks spokesperson Colonel Avele Fumba says preliminary investigations indicate that the alleged misconduct may have resulted in financial prejudice to the municipality, although the exact value is still subject to verification. 

He says the suspects will facing corruption charges in the Senwabarwana Magistrate’s Court.

The Hawks are expected to raid several municipalities in the province to effect arrests for malfeasance following intensive investigations.