R36m Saps tender fraud: Senior Eastern Cape govt official, two others due in court

A senior Eastern Cape government official and two others on Monday are expected to appear at the East London Magistrate’s Court following their arrest at the weekend on allegations of tender fraud.

The trio was arrested on Saturday by the National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigating Directorate (ID) and the Eastern Cape South African Police Service (Saps) anti-corruption unit.

They were nabbed in connection with bribery allegations linked to investigations into a national Saps furniture tender valued at over R36 million.

ALSO READ: Saps leads the country in corruption complaints

Ex-Ekurhuleni officials jailed for tender fraud

Last week, the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Gauteng sentenced two former City of Ekurhuleni officials and a businessman to several years behind bars for tender fraud amounting to R21.8 million.

This followed their conviction in 2019 on charges of fraud, corruption, and money laundering.

The matter emanated from a referral by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to the NPA for prosecution, after the SIU probed procurement processes at the Ekurhuleni metro.

The two former Ekurhuleni officials, Nelish Singh and Andrew Mphushomadi, on Wednesday, were handed sentences of 15 years and six years, respectively.

Singh was employed as the city’s executive director of the information and communications technology department, while Mphushomadi was a chief IT architect.

Mphushomadi and his company, Nanga Transport, were given 10 years for money laundering, of which four were suspended. According to the SIU, he received the proceeds of crime to the value of R3.3 million.

Businessman Velero David, who owns Meropa Sechabeng Technology, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.

The two entities that were used to commission the tender fraud crime – Meropa Sechabeng Technology and Nanga Transport, represented by Mphushomadi’s wife Princes Dlongolo – were each given R600,000 fines suspended for five years.

Compiled by Thapelo Lekabe

NOW READ: Former Ekurhuleni officials jailed for tender fraud amounting to R21.8m