Former municipal officials appear in Ermelo Magistrate’s Court on numerous charges
The former municipality officials are accused of violating the PFMA between 2014 and 2018 by allegedly selling and swapping property that belonged to the municipality, including a water pump and reservoir that were intended to meet the needs of the community.
ERMELO – Former municipal officials Theron Zwelishe Shongwe (47), Thusi Hezekiel Kubheka (65) and Masego Mmabatho Matsheka (51) appeared before the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court on August 29, in connection with fraud, theft, and violating the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
This followed their arrest by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team, based in Nelspruit.
Shongwe and Kubheka were both former municipal managers, and Matsheka had previously served as the manager of community services.
The former municipal officials are accused of violating the PFMA between 2014 and 2018 by allegedly selling and swapping property that belonged to the municipality, including a water pump and reservoir that were intended to meet the needs of the community.
Additionally, they allegedly traded higher-valued municipal properties for lower-valued ones to benefit individuals without taking into consideration the crucial advantages this would have to
The Hawks received word of the situation in March 2020 and opened an investigation. It was determined during the investigation that the necessary procurement procedures were not used and that the properties sold belonged to the municipality for the benefit of the community.
The three accused were each granted a bail amount of R5000, and the case was posponed until October 6 to allow for additional investigation.
More arrests are said to be imminent.
