R180 million corruption allegations see Hawks raid Limpopo municipality

It doesn’t rain but pours for the Collins Chabane Local Municipality in Limpopo after the Hawks raided the institution at the weekend following allegations of corruption involving more than R180 million.

Hardly a month after the municipality’s former manager, Tsakane Charlotte Ngobeni appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in connection with the R2 billion VBS Mutual Bank looting, the Hawks have seized vital tender documents and laptops from the municipality at the weekend amid allegations of another corruption.

The municipality allegedly awarded a tender worth R173 million to companies without following due Supply-Chain Management (SCM) processes. The tender, according to the Hawks, was for the construction of municipal offices in the Malamulele area, in Limpopo.

“We have conducted a search and seizure operation as part of the ongoing investigation into allegations of fraud and corruption at the Collins Chabane Local Municipality,” said Hawks Limpopo spokesperson, Captain Matimba Maluleke yesterday.

He said the tender was for the construction of municipal offices in the Malamulele area, in the Vhembe district municipality.

“During the search, laptops and other tender related documents were seized. No arrests were made at the time but our investigations are still continuing,” he explained.

A well-placed source from the municipality told The Citizen the tender was awarded to a joint venture which started fighting over who gets the fattest slice of the budget for the tender.

This he said was after an engineer, assigned by the municipality to provide engineering services for the project experienced that the ground, in which they were building a three story flat had clay underground.

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“In light of this, the service provider wanted to bill the institution R11 million more to make a total R184 million. The divination order was later taken to council which adopted it the item. Now one of them (Service Providers) went to the Hawks and reported that the awarding of the tender was dubious with fraud and corruption elements,” said the source.

Contacted for comment, municipality spokesperson, Risenga Shilenge confirm the raid by the Hawks.“We have decided to cooperate with the Hawks in an effort to make their work very easy and simple. Our doors are always open and our hands are clean because there is nothing untoward about the awarding of the tender.

Those reporting allegations of corruption against us are barking up the wrong tree as this was proven by the office of the Auditor General (AG) which audited our books and found nothing untoward,” said Shilenge.

Two months ago, the municipality parted ways with its municipal manager, Taakane Charlotte Ngobeni.Ngobeni has been on a paid suspension for nearly two years. This after she depositing R120 million into an account of the now-defunct VBS Bank.

She allegedly received gifts, including a vehicle, from the bank managers and their associates in exchange for the deposit.

According to information, Ngobeni was in a private hospital after a short-illness in Polokwane when an official from the municipality approached her to sign and transfer the money to the VBS bank account. She will re-appear again in July 29 for allegations of corruption.