New charges against disgraced officials
DISGRACED former municipal manager of the Karoo Hoogland Municipality, Louis Nothnagel and former chief financial officer, Marius Botha, who were found guilty of fraud, corruption and money laundering last year, appeared on fresh criminal charges in the Williston Magistrate’s Court last week.
Despite the pending charges that Nothnagel is facing, he was appointed as the co-ordinator for the community work programme (CWP) at the Karoo Hoogland Municipality earlier this year.
The Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs has denied any knowledge of the new criminal charges that were instituted against him.
However, Northern Cape Hawks spokesperson, Nomthandazo Mnisi, confirmed that the amount under investigation amounted to approximately R1.1 million.
“The charges include fraud, money laundering, theft, contravention of the Municipal Management Act and contravention of Local Government Municipal System Act.”
Mnisi indicated that the accused were arrested in 2013, while the trial started on April 12.
They were found guilty in May 2017 for colluding with a bogus company owner, Ockert Tobias Cloete, for the installation and delivery of 600 solar geysers between 2011 and 2012 in Williston.
An amount of R217 152.52 was paid to Cloete’s unregistered company before any services were rendered.
Nothnagel was found guilty of contravening the Municipal Finance Management Act, for failing to prevent corruption, and was issued with a fine of R5 000 or 12 months imprisonment.
Botha and Cloete were each sentenced to five years imprisonment for corruption, four years for money laundering and two years on four counts of fraud.
Cloete was handed an additional eight years imprisonment for a separate fraud charge.
The chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) and portfolio committee on Co-operative Governance, AJ Beukes, last month requested the HOD for the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta), to explain why Nothnagel was occupying an office at the offices at Karoo Hoogland Municipality, if he was not an appointed staff member.
She pointed out that it was common knowledge that Nothnagel was found guilty in a court of law on a charge of corruption at the Karoo Hoogland Municipality, where he was appointed at the same municipality as a co-ordinator for the CWP.
“This is cause for great concern to Scopa and the portfolio committee on Coghsta since this might send out a message that government is not serious about the prevention of corruption and dealing with people found guilty of corruption.
“It is further requested that Nothnagel be removed with immediate effect and replaced with a suitable, qualified person.”
In response, the HOD for Coghsta, BS Lenkoe, explained that Nothnagel was appointed by the Dladla Foundation, an implementing agent for one of their sites.
“He is not an employee of Coghsta. The non-governmental organisation, Dladla Foundation, went through a recruitment process themselves, advertised the posts of the CWP site co-ordinator and CWP administrator for the Karoo Hoogland and appointed these two staff members on their establishment.”
He added that the municipality had agreed to provide office space in one of the municipal buildings to the Dladla Foundation as part of an agreement entered into in 2016.
Spokesperson for Coghsta, Lerato Khunou, reiterated that Nothnagel was not an employee of either the department or the municipality.
She stated that the department had no control over the recruitment of site administrators and site co-ordinators.
“Implementing agents are appointed by the national Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta).”
Khunou indicated that the department had no knowledge of the new charges against Nothnagel and Botha.
National spokesperson for Cogta, Legadima Leso, referred media enquiries back to Coghsta in the Province.
Cope MPL Pakes Dikgetsi questioned the credentials of state employees who had criminal records or pending criminal cases.
“How do you employ someone who was convicted for stealing ratepayers’ money less than a year ago? Characters of this calibre should not be allowed to set foot in a government institution and should not be permitted to handle public money. He must be rehabilitated.”