Two municipal officials guilty of fraud

THE municipal manager of Senqu local municipality Mxolisi Yawa and former chief financial officer, Chris Venter, have been convicted of violating the Municipal Finance Management Act.

They, together with two other accused, will be sentenced by the Aliwal North Regional Court in July.

Yawa, 44, who was also found guilty of fraud, was arrested by the Hawks, on March 13 2014 alongside his then personal assistant, Octavia Bambilawu, 28, Bambilawu’s mother and business partner, Elza Bambilawu, 60, and Venter, 53.

Yawa had allegedly submitted a fraudulent application for accommodation, while Venter approved the payment for Yawa’s stay at a guest house co-owned by Bambilawu and her mother.

The mother and daughter were found guilty of fraud for having entered into a fraudulent deal with the municipality.

According to court papers, Yawa is alleged to have applied for accommodation be paid for by the municipality, by pretending to be a new employee when, in fact, he had been with the municipality for 10 years.

Senqu covers the Sterkspruit and Lady Grey aread.

Yawa also allegedly pretended to be living 120km from work – when in fact he lived less than 60km away.

Yawa, who is from Aliwal North, asked to be booked in for two months at Keziah Accommodation and Conference owned by the Bambilawus in Lady Grey from August 1 2011.

The municipality duly approved the application after Venter authorised payments for Yawa’s stay.

Venter even extended Yawa’s stay by four months.

Yawa said yesterday he would challenge the court’s verdict.

Hawks spokeswoman Captain Anelisa Feni said: “The Hawks commenced with their investigation during June 2013. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), as represented by senior state advocate Diniso Ketani and a public prosecutor in this matter decided to charge them.”

The four will be sentenced on July 21 at Aliwal North Regional Court.

Political analyst Professor Somadoda Fikeni said the officials were likely to walk away with just a slap on the wrist. “Often in this type of case, they would just be asked to pay back the money. Nothing seems to happen to the perpetrators,” he said.

“If you look at the Brian Molefe saga after he was implicated by [for- mer public protector] Thuli Madonsela report, he was made a member of parliament and is touted as a minister.

“We should recognise the broad context where corruption and patronage have become a huge problem in local and national government and the private sector.”

Fikeni said as long as rampant corruption continued to reign unattended in government, the three biggest socio-economic challenges in South Africa – poverty, unemployment and inequality – would get worse. Fikeni claimed politically connected individuals seemed to receive protection because of patronage.

Hawks provincial head General Nyameko Nogwanya welcomed the guilty verdict.

“We denounce corruption in all its forms, we will not tolerate any corruption and with other role players we have taken a stance to deal mercilessly with those engaged in corrupt activities.

“We hope that they will get an appropriate sentence which will serve as an example to would-be corrupt individuals,” Nogwanya said. —