Former Eastern Cape health official in court for alleged R1.9m kickbacks scheme

A former senior Eastern Cape health department official appeared in the East London Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for fraud, allegedly involving R1.9m in kickbacks.

Members of the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit arrested Jeffery Njova, 60, from East London, on Wednesday morning.

He faces 80 counts of fraud, Hawks spokesperson Lwando Zenzile said.

Zenzile said the former official was accused of securing contracts in the department for certain suppliers in exchange for kickbacks.

“It is alleged that during the period 2005 to 2008, Njova unlawfully and deceptively interfered with the department’s procurement processes. The investigations have linked him to several instances wherein policies of the supply chain management were undermined,” said Zenzile.

“Apart from the mandatory three quotations for services that the department would require from suppliers, Njova would source three additional quotations from other suppliers, ensuring that they were the lowest. This resulted in Njova unduly pocketing over R1.9 million through kickbacks,” added Zenzile.

Njova was released on a warning and the case was postponed to 7 December 2020.

In a separate incident, an alleged notorious drug dealer, Chukuwuebuka Kingsley Izuagwu, 31, was arrested by the Hawks in North End, East London on Monday.

The Hawks’ South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (Saneb), assisted by the local Crime Intelligence Gathering team, arrested him, following a sting operation that was conducted over four days from 12 to 16 November.

“In the first controlled exchange, the team purchased R1 000 worth of tik, which Izuagwu supplied from his North End flat. This was followed by two other orders worth a combined R10 000 which he delivered at Esplanade beachfront on two different occasions. The team swooped on the target when he delivered the third consignment at the same beachfront, weighing 20 grams valued at about R5 000,” said Zenzile.

Izuagwu was then taken to his flat where a search uncovered about 260 grams of tik, valued at R 65 000, said Zenzile.

He added that a small electronic scale, cellphones, an elephant tusk, as well as more than R50 000 in cash were seized for further investigation.

The East London Magistrate’s s Court has postponed Izuagwu’s case.

He is in custody and is expected to return to court on 7 December 2020.

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