Hawks arrest two councillors on RDP fraud charge

TWO Walter Sisulu municipality councillors were arrested by the Hawks this week for fraud and theft after they allegedly sold an RDP house to a resident for R150 000.

Ward 7 councillor Mxolisi Mdumisa, 37, and ward 10 councillor Moahlodi Mokhoabane, 54, appeared briefly before the Aliwal North Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday and were released on R1 000 bail each.

Eastern Cape Hawks provincial spokeswoman Captain Anelisa Feni said the councillors would appear again in court on June 12.

Feni said the pair had been arrested by the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime unit.

Feni said: “It is alleged that during April 2017 Mdumisa and Mokhoabane deceived a 38-year-old woman by agreeing to sell to her an RDP house in exchange for just over R150 000.

“The woman allegedly deposited the amount into their bank account but never received the house.”

Mdumisa yesterday declined to confirm or deny the charges.

Mokhoabane’s phone was answered by a woman who said she was his wife. She declined to give her name and said she knew nothing about the allegations.

She said Mokhoabane was attending a meeting.

Eastern Cape Hawks provincial acting head Major-General Zintle Mnonopi commended the investigating team and warned that fraud, theft and corruption by municipal officials would be dealt with severely.

DA councillor Matthee Nel welcomed the arrests.

“It’s clear that the ANC caucus of the Walter Sisulu local municipality are only there for self-enrichment and not to serve the communities who voted them into power.”

ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi and provincial chairman Oscar Mabuyane could not be reached for comment at the time of writing.

This is not the first time that councillors at the Aliwal North-based municipality have been arrested for alleged fraud and corruption.

Council speaker Kholekile Lange was arrested by the Hawks at the council chambers during a special council meeting on February 19 last year relating to alleged fraudulent travel claims.

He was arrested after months of investigations into allegations that he claimed money from the municipality for using his own car to do official work, although he did not own a vehicle, the Hawks said at the time.

Before Gariep and Maletswai municipalities were amalgamated in 2016 to establish Walter Sisulu Municipality, the Hawks also swooped on former Maletswai councillor Ntombizanele Williams in 2015 for selling municipal plots to residents for between R2 000 and R10 000.

Williams was sentenced to spend eight years in jail on Friday. —