Retiree up for fraud
MOM AND SON: FORMER VARSITY MANAGER PAYS BACK R2M Allegedly awarded tenders worth R1.5m for nonexisting work.
Aretired University of Fort Hare (UFH) employee, Thobeka Portia Heshula, 68, has been forced to pay R2 million back to the university after she was found to have awarded tenders worth R1.5 million to a company owned by her son Ngwengo Collin Uhuru Heshula, 41, for nonexisting work.
An internal investigation by the university uncovered the alleged scheme and through civil proceedings in the Eastern Cape High Court in Makhanda, she paid back the funds with interest, totalling R2 million.
But that was not enough to get Heshula and her son off the hook as they appeared in the Alice Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for criminal charges.
They face 53 counts of fraud, forgery and uttering. The two were released on R1 000 bail. The state did not oppose bail and the case was transferred to the East London Specialised Commercial Crime Court. They will appear in court on 12 March.
Thobeka Heshula, a retired residence operations manager at UFH, stands accused of making the payments to her son’s company in her capacity as the official responsible for appointment of service providers and authorisation of payments to those service providers.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) alleges that Thobeka Heshula had first-hand knowledge of tenders and contracts which the university needed to procure and Ngcwengo Heshula, with the advice of his mother, allegedly generated three quotations, aimed at creating misrepresentation that they were from three separate entities.
The quotations were allegedly issued under the names of either fictitious entities or entities fronting under separate names, the NPA charges in court documents.
It said the generation of these quotations were calculated to ensure that Heshula Solutions CC, or entities with ties to it, would be appointed, as they would appear to have provided the cheapest quotation.
“The accused also allegedly authorised payments of invoices submitted by entities for services that were not rendered. The wrongful and fraudulent scheme was allegedly conducted by the accused, in the period between July 2013 and March 2019,” the NPA said.
UFH has recently been marred by a deadly power battle emanating from allegations of tender corruption, fraud and a degree scandal. In August 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the SIU to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration at the university – focusing on four tender contracts and the awarding of post-graduate degrees for personal gain.
This came after the university’s fleet manager, Petrus Roets, and the bodyguard of vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu, Mbonise Vesele, were killed in shootings. –