Three top government officials appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on charges of corruption yesterday.
Their bail application is scheduled to continue today.
The court refused the state’s application for a seven-day postponement.
READ :Six traffic officers arrested for corruption
Kebone Masenga, the provincial head of the Department of Human Settlements, Department of Human Settlements ,Matric Luphondo the acting director of Public Prosecutions in Mpumalanga and Lt Col Ayanda Plaatje, the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation’s unit commander, allegedly colluded to bribe a prosecutor to withdraw charges Masenga faces of fraud and contraventoin of the Immigration Act.
It is alleged the prosecutor reported the matter to his seniors as well as the police. Subsequently, after further investigations, the three were arrested.
READ: Man sentenced to life imprisonment for murder
Sipho Ngwenya, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), said, “The NPA has initiated the relevant labour processes against Luphondo. While the NPA is disappointed that any of its officials is entangled in such allegations, in conflict with our new values that are anchored on high ethical conduct, integrity and credibility, we take pride in the men and women who are resolute in defending our new vision. It is encouraging that there were prosecutors and investigators who acted swiftly, with honesty and strong moral principles, in defence of our values and the law,” said Ngwenya.
