Latest news with #R56m
The Citizen
01-08-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Hawks push ahead with Polokwane Municipality corruption case
POLOKWANE – The corruption probe into the affairs of the Polokwane Municipality will continue despite a key segment of the broader investigation being struck off the Limpopo High Court roll in the city on Tuesday due to interlocutory issues. This assurance came from the head of the Hawks in Limpopo, Maj Genl (Adv) Gopz Govender, who spoke to Polokwane Observer shortly after Judge Jane Ngobeni ruled that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) was not positioned to proceed with an urgent application compelling the municipality to hand over its gift register. The register was to be examined for potential irregularities involving Mayor John Mpe and his Makoro Foundation. Read more: Court strikes Hawks' Polokwane gift register bid Ngobeni ruled it fair to allow all legal respondents, including legal representatives of Mpe, his foundation, the municipality and municipal manager Thuso Nemugumoni, to first finalise a related interlocutory application also before the court. The Hawks have since indicated their intention to re-enrol the urgent application within the next month, anticipating that the other matter will have been resolved by then. This development comes in the wake of explosive claims circulating on social media, alleging that over R700m in municipal tenders were irregularly awarded to relatives and associates of Mpe and Nemugumoni. Read more: Polokwane mayor faces deadline over tender kickback claims The municipal manager also faces allegations of awarding a R56m tender to a Zimbabwean national with which she reportedly has close ties. Mpe, while conceding the foreign-owned company had likely been paid through a joint venture with a local entity, in recent weeks denied any wrongdoing. As speculation intensifies, the municipality's leadership has dismissed the allegations as a political witch-hunt aimed at undermining Mpe's leadership and the foundation's achievements. Govender, however, stressed that the Hawks' investigation is impartial and driven by evidence, and not public opinion or political pressure. You might also want to read: ActionSA opens corruption case against Polokwane mayor 'Our investigation is not about targeting individuals or being influenced by public commentary. What goes to court is not information or intelligence, but evidence, and we are confident in the evidence we've gathered,' he stated. Mpe did not respond to Polokwane Observer's request for comment by the time of publication.
The Citizen
29-07-2025
- The Citizen
Kishene Chetty application to combine criminal matters dismissed
Chetty and his co-accused appeared in the Gauteng High Court sitting in Pretoria. Businessman Kishene Chetty and his co-accused have been dealt a significant blow after their application to consolidate several cases of fraud, forgery, money laundering, and other charges of dishonesty was struck off the roll with costs. Chetty and his co-accused appeared in the Gauteng High Court sitting in Pretoria on Monday. The matter pertains to the procurement of toners for the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape provinces between 2015 and 2016, resulting in a loss of more than R800 000 to the police. Charges The NPA's Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) spokesperson, Henry Mamothame, said Chetty and his accused wanted the charges consolidated, arguing that the charges in all the cases were similar. 'Counsel for the NPA's Investigating Directorate Against Corruption objected when the legal representatives of Chetty and others attempted to hand in four new lever arch files , which were not provided to the court and the state in preparation for the hearing. 'The state argued that in law, an applicant can file a supplementary only if they obtain leave to do so from a court, following a substantive application,' Mamothame said. ALSO READ: PPE tender fraud and corruption case against Kishene Chetty postponed Criminal matter Mamothame said the judge also questioned if it was correct for a criminal matter to be presided over by a civil court. 'This outcome will provide progress in the cases that Chetty and his co-accused are facing, as they have been postponed pending this ruling'. R56m police vehicle branding fraud case Chetty and his co-accused are facing 456 charges, including racketeering, fraud, corruption, theft, forgery and money laundering. Among the accused are police officials who allegedly participated in the fraudulent tender process, as well as 22 companies and their directors. The former head of police supply chain management, Lieutenant General Ramahlapi Mokwena and three brigadiers are also among the accused in this matter. The matter stems from another R56 million tender fraud case, in which procurement documents were allegedly tampered with in a tender for the branding of police vehicles. Falsified quotations were allegedly provided to the South African Police Service. ALSO READ: R56m police vehicle branding fraud case set for pre-trial
The Citizen
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Mpumalanga executive council appoints first CEO of Nkomazi SEZ
The Mpumalanga Provincial Government's Executive Council (Exco) has appointed Dr Nontobeko Mahlalela as the first-ever CEO of the Nkomazi Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Mahlalela was appointed during a meeting of the Exco on May 5. In a media statement, the Exco announced that Mahlalela is credited as an expert in local economic development and widely experienced in local government. It also highlighted the importance of the SEZ, which, once completed, will play an essential role in revitalising the economic opportunities available to rural areas in the Nkomazi Local Municipality. Mahlalela will manage a geographically designated area that will boost the economies of Mpumalanga, Mozambique and eSwatini. ALSO READ: Education bids farewell to its beloved ECD director In a presentation to the select committee in March, the status of work with the SEZ was laid out. The SEZ entered into a 50-year land lease agreement with the Nkomazi Local Municipality, which has been registered with the Deeds Office. The designated site of the zone has obtained an environmental authorisation and water use licence and a perimeter fence has been installed for phase one. Preliminary designs are in place and professionals were appointed in January (at a cost of about R56m) to compile detailed engineering designs for bulk water, sewerage, roads and storm water, as well all internal services, which are expected to be finalised in September this year. The installation of required bulk infrastructure and reticulation of internal services is projected to take 18 months and expected to be completed in March 2027. It is anticipated that investors will start occupying sites in phase one from April 2027 onward. The total investment value of the SEZ is estimated at around R50b, with the anticipated creation of around 45 000 jobs. Mahlalela is currently the municipal manager of the Ehlanzeni District Municipality (EDM). ALSO READ: MunMEC aims to foster collaboration In a statement, the EDM congratulated her on her appointment. 'Dr Mahlalela's journey has been one of unwavering service and profound impact, particularly as municipal manager. Her steadfast focus on uplifting communities and delivering meaningful change – qualities that will undoubtedly make her tenure at the SEZ transformative – has earned her the admiration and trust of those she has served. Her leadership, rooted in a deep understanding of the complexities of regional and local economic development – and driven by a passion to serve – speaks volumes of her capability to take the SEZ to new heights,' the statement said. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
