Former state employee found guilty of accepting alleged R160k bribe
The former Misa senior official Lizeka Tonjeni was found guilty of corruption related to Digital Vibes.
The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court postponed the corruption case of a government official on Friday to June 6 for sentencing proceedings.
Senior Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (Misa) official, Lizeka Tonjeni (49) was found guilty of corruption related to the Digital Vibes contract.
Misa is a national government component accountable to the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta).
Tonjeni was found guilty of accepting a R160 000 bribe while she was the project manager of a Digital Vibes contract.
The crime occurred in 2018 when Misa appointed her to manage a contract worth almost R4-million, awarded to Digital Vibes.
“In 2018, Misa awarded a tender to Digital Vibes to render communication services for 24 months. Tonjeni was nominated as a project manager responsible for the appointment and management of the service provider, and to whom all communication had to be addressed,” said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.
Mahanjana said from December 2018 until August 2020, Tonjeni received unauthorised payments of R160 000 due to her from Digital Vibes.
After investigations by the Hawks Serious Corruption Offences (SCO), Tonjeni was arrested after she handed herself to the police at the Pretoria Central police station on May 24, 2022.
“She was released on R5 000 bail, with conditions that she should hand in her passport to the clerk of the court and should not apply for a new passport. Furthermore, she should not travel outside the Gauteng province unless she applies with the investigating officer,” said Mahanjana.
On Friday, Tonjeni pleaded not guilty to the charges in court and denied that she had fraudulently received payments from Digital Vibes.
“In her testimony, she said the payments received from the director of Digital Vibes were for weight loss and energy booster products she was selling. She still owes the director of Digital Vibes,” Mahanjana said.
She added that Tonjeni said she still owes R85 000 since she could not deliver some of the products and pay back her money.
“However, a team of prosecutors, advocates Willem van Zyl and Phuma Dwane, called witnesses who are Misa employees to testify and adduced evidence to prove that indeed Tonjeni was guilty of the charges preferred against her.”
During the judgment, Magistrate Nicola Setshoge found the evidence of Tonjeni not to be reasonably true and dishonest.
Mahanjana said therefore Setshoge found that the state could prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
After the judgment, Tonjeni brought an application to have her bail extended.
Mahanjana said the state opposed the application because Tonjeni failed to comply with her bail conditions.
“She travelled and moved to the Eastern Cape without notifying the investigating officer and applied for a new passport, while her bail conditions prohibited her from doing so.
“During the bail hearing, Advocate Willem van Zyl argued that Tonjeni was a flight risk, as she applied for a passport 17 days before her possible conviction.”
Mahanjana said the magistrate found that Tonjeni undermined the justice and bail systems.
“The scenario gives a likelihood that Tonjeni will flee whenever she wants, therefore the application was dismissed. The matter was postponed to June 6 for sentencing proceedings,” she said.
The NPA welcomed the conviction and wants to send a strong message that corrupt officials should know that impunity is no longer a given and that the dreaded knock on the door has become a realistic prospect.
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