Fraud trial of Mhlontlo ‘hit plot’ accused begins

Municipal Payment of R160,000 made for no work done

The Mhlontlo municipal official accused of planning a hit on municipal manager Thando Mase appeared on a fraud charge in the Qumbu regional court on Wednesday.

Mase was in court to testify against Zwelilungile Siqhola, 41, a municipality technician.

The Dispatch reported on Tuesday that Siqhola allegedly wanted to hire a hitman to kill Mase. He was arrested in a dramatic police sting operation on Saturday.

He made a brief appearance in the Mthatha magistrate’s court on Monday on charges which included conspiracy to commit murder.

Mase, the municipality’s former infrastructure director, was Siqhola’s boss when the official allegedly defrauded the municipality of R160,000 in 2017.

In his appearance on Wednesday, Siqhola said he understood the fraud charge and pleaded not guilty.

The matter relates to a concrete slab project in Khalankomo village where a payment was made yet no work was done.

Mase told the court that employees like Siqhola reported to a project management unit (PMU) manager, who in turn reported to him.

He said he had received a report from the PMU manager that payment was made for the project.

He said the project manager who was responsible for construction of the access road and bridge was Yolanda Nqatyelwa.

Nqatyelwa did not know anything about slab work being completed.

“I went to the finance [office] to verify if payment was done for that project. It was paid, though there were discrepancies,” Mase said.

“The money was paid to a Ms Jafta [director of the company, Emmanuel 101 Pty Ltd, which got the tender]. I don’t recall the company name. After getting that information, I made an appointment with the local ward councillor and went on site. I saw that the slab work was not done. The road was dug in such a way that cars were unable to drive by in a normal way,” he said.

The court heard that the company belonged to Siqhola’s sister-in-law.

“I compiled a report based on the information I saw on site. I included the reports and the copy of the payment certificate to the municipal manager, explaining about the project which did not happen.

“The project manager was not the person who was supposed to sign [the payment certificate]. Instead it was the accused who did, which was one of the surprising things.”

He told the court the certificate included Siqhola’s phone number, and when he called, Siqhola picked up the phone.

Mase said he asked Siqhola why his number appeared on the document, but he denied it was his number.

Mase recommended in his report that disciplinary action be taken against Siqhola and a criminal case opened.

Siqhola’s lawyer, Daluxolo Pika, asked Mase if he was part of the panel that appointed the company to the project.

“It was the accused and a late employee,” Mase answered.

Pika put it to Mase that before payments were made, reports were submitted.

“That is true. There’s a meeting on site with the councillor and steering committee before a report is done,” Mase said.

However, such a report was never submitted, he said.

Pika asked how a payment was made without the report.

“As I said in my report, the way in which the payment was made shocked me because there was no report or a request memo for payment,” he said.

Pika asked Mase how the payment could happen behind his back.

Mase answered: “The municipal manager would be able to answer that. I’m not the one who was making payment. I’m saying payment was incorrectly done and was never taken to me [to sign],” he said.

Mase was asked why he reported Siqhola a year after the payment was made in June 2017.

He attributed that to a process that could not happen in one day.

He told the court that Siqhola admitted guilt in the disciplinary hearing and committed to paying the money back by June this year.

The trial continues.