Brian Hlongwa, wife hand themselves over to police – sources

Former Gauteng Health MEC and ANC chief whip Brian Hlongwa and his wife, Joeline Davids-Hlongwa, are both believed to have handed themselves over to the police.

Impeccable sources said the pair handed themselves over at the Johannesburg Central Police Station early on Tuesday, and were due to be formally arrested ahead of an appearance in the dock of the Johannesburg Regional Court scheduled for later in the day.

The Citizen reported on Hlongwa’s pending arrest at the weekend.

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A stack of damning charges

Along with various other individuals and entities, he and his wife are understood to be facing various charges – including racketeering, fraud, corruption, benefiting from the proceeds of crime and money laundering  – over graft allegations dating back more than a decade, to when Hlongwa was still at the helm of the province’s health department.

A Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report made public in 2018 fingered Hlongwa in allegations that a company called 3P Consulting – owned by businessman Richard Payne, a known associate of Hlongwa’s – awarded R1.2 billion worth of government contracts in exchange for providing civil servants with kickbacks.

According to the report, Hlongwa scored big in the form of luxury spa treatments for him and his wife, trips, and a multi-million-rand deposit on a plush Bryanston home from the dodgy dealings.

He resigned from his position as Gauteng ANC chief whip the same year the report was publicly released.

Last year, four other senior departmental officials who were implicated in the same SIU report – Sybil Ngcobo, Mmakgosi Mosupi, Valdis Romaano and Obakeng Mookeletsi – were arrested and charged with corruption and contravening the Public Finance Management Act.

This in connection with an allegedly dodgy IT contract.

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Payne, along with fellow businessman Phil Austin (who were also implicated) were meant to be arrested at the same time, but their warrants of arrest could not be executed as they were out of the country.

It has since been reported, though, that extradition processes in relation to Payne were underway.

When it comes to Hlongwa, meanwhile, it’s taken years to move on him.

Despite sources having confirmed his camp had been informed ahead of time, Hlongwa – who has previously denied any wrongdoing – was on Saturday insistent he knew nothing about his pending arrest.

“I’ve not heard anything,” he said.

“This matter has been ongoing for quite a while. Up until now, I’ve not heard anything from anyone so I can’t say anything. It’s the year 2021, I was an MEC between 2006 and 2009.

“There’s been investigations ever since then … I’m hearing this for the first time”.