Retired cop 10th officer arrested in police vehicle branding case

RETIRED police officer Colonel Kysamula Morris Mabasa from Limpopo has become the 10th officer arrested in connection with the police vehicle branding corruption case.

Mabasa, 59, who was arrested at his Limpopo home on Friday, joins 15 co-accused in the matter which saw several senior officers arrested last week. All the accused have appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.

Mabasa and his co-accused were released on R5 000 bail each while Brigadier James Ramanjalum, who was arrested in Durban, was remanded in custody as the State opposed his bail.

The others are expected to return to court on September 30.

The officers, including retired Lieutenant-General Ramahlapi Mokwena and six civilians in the business sector, face charges of fraud, corruption, theft and money laundering amounting to R56 million. This is related to a 2017 tender to brand police vehicles.

Ramanjalum and Mokwena also face fraud and corruption charges instituted in 2018 in another matter before the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, related to the fitting of Gauteng police vehicles with sirens, radios and other equipment.

Mokwena, who recently retired, was the national head for supply chain management, while Ramanjalum is still the SAPS national head of procurement.

When they the court

appeared, heard from State advocate Richard Chabalala that Lorrette Joubert, accused number one, a white woman and the sole director of Vatika, allegedly misrepresented herself as a black woman to receive the lucrative vehicle tender.

Chabalala said in court that Joubert was allegedly fronting for accused number two, Kishen Chetty, the supposed real owner of Vatika. Kishen’s father, Krishna Chetty, is accused number three and is also allegedly involved.

Ramanjalum, who was part of the bid evaluation committee, and Mokwena, who chaired the bid adjudication committee (BAC), are said to have manipulated documents and intimidated their colleagues into fraudulently giving tenders to Vatika and Kgotho, another company.

This, the State alleged, was done with the assistance of Marcell Marney, accused number 14, who was stationed in Ramanjalum’s office as the chief provisioning administration clerk. Marney is allegedly related to the Chetty family by marriage.

“On two different occasions, Mokwena called Ramanjalum to the BAC so that he could explain certain aspects of the submissions. The documents submitted to the BAC included the identity document of Joubert.

“It was very clear from the copy of the identity document of Joubert that she is a white woman; not a black woman as misrepresented in the bid documents,” the charge sheet reads.

“During BAC’s proceedings, Mokwena

shouted at and intimidated the other members of the BAC and accused them of trying to scupper the progress of a black company, when in truth the entity being considered was owned by a white woman.”

All the accused indicated that they were innocent and would plead not guilty.

The State opposed Ramanjalum’s bail, saying the cumulative charges against him made him a risk for skipping trial.

But Ramanjalum, in an affidavit read in court by his lawyer, Kineil Muthray, also maintained his innocence and welcomed the investigations.

Ramanjalum’s bail application was adjourned to Thursday.