By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
17 March 2025- Four suspects aged between 38 and 53, were arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation, Serious Corruption Investigation in collaboration with Hawks’ Head Office Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS), for alleged fraud, money laundering and corruption.
The Hawks spokesperson in North West, Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mthebula said the reports indicate that in 2018, a former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of a municipality in Rustenburg, allegedly colluded with a service provider to have her company, which was not on the municipality’s database, claim payments for services using a company, which was registered on the municipality’s database.
Mathebula said investigation revealed that payments for alleged services rendered were allegedly paid into the bank account of a service provider that was not on the database. He further said these payments, amounting to over R25 million, were allegedly made between December 2018 and May 2019.
“Further probe uncovered that funds were transferred from the service provider’s bank account into the bank accounts of three municipal employees, the CFO, Secretary to the Municipal Manager, and a municipal councillor.
“It is further alleged that three non-municipal employees and their entities also received funds from the service provider’s bank account. The suspects were charged with multiple counts of fraud, money laundering and corruption,” said Mathebula.
He added that the suspects will appear in the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court on 18 March 2025. Mathebula said the former Municipal Manager and two service providers are still at large.
The Guardian 