• Milongani boss hard to pin down

HIS company pocketed more than R25-million from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, yet those meant to have worked closely with him say they have never met the elusive Mpho Nangammbi, owner of Milongani Eco-Consulting.

When Milongani was contracted to render environmental services to the municipality from July 2015, by all accounts Nangammbi had not been to Nelson Mandela Bay and attempts to reach him via e-mail proved unsuccessful.

After sending an e-mail requesting Milongani’s address in February last year to deliver the letter of appointment, municipal staffer Kars Vos found only an empty building and wrote the following e-mail to Milongani four days later:

“We have sent a letter to Milongani Eco-Consulting using the address on the [appointment letter].

“Unfortunately, the letter could not be delivered as the premises is empty with nobody present to accept the letter. There was also no forwarding address.

“It looks like the business does not exist.”

Seven addresses are registered to Nangammbi, according to the Companies and Intellectual Properties Commission – all of them in North West and Limpopo.

The six interns appointed by Milongani as well as sub-contractor CEN IEM Unit CC (CEN) all confirmed never having dealt with anyone from Milongani other than officials from the municipality’s public health directorate.

In an interview with the PwC investigation, Vuyokazi Bazi, the intern who did all the day-to-day functions for Milongani, said she had never met Nangammbi, who was listed as sole director of the company.

Bazi confirmed Nangammbi had not attended any project meetings where she was present during Milongani’s appointment period.

Mike Cohen, owner of CEN Integrated Environmental Management Unit, said even though he was appointed by Milongani for projects, he had never met anyone from Milongani and only dealt exclusively with public health director Joram Mkosana and Bazi.

Attempts to reach Nangammbi were unsuccessful.

Reporters tried calling him, but he hung up upon hearing who was on the phone. Text and WhatsApp messages went unanswered.

PwC investigators were not able to pin him down for an interview.

Early last year, Nangammbi responded to the allegations.

At the time, he said the municipality had asked his company to deploy seven staff to the public health department because of severe staff shortages there.

“Our contract allows for such deployment where necessary.

“And these were the only people who were based at the municipality.

“Otherwise, we have always operated from our office at the Green House building in South End.”

He said at the time the municipality had a long history of accusing black firms of inflating prices.

‘ We have always operated from our office in South End