Five officials of the Limpopo department of health, who were arrested in connection with tender fraud, have been released on R20,000 bail each.
Their cases have been postponed to December 12 for further police investigations.
Matanye Monye, Mojela Sethowa, Gorataone Rampa, Modjadji Kubayi and Mzamane Baloyi appeared in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Friday charged with theft of more than R10-million.
According to police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, Monye, Rampa and Baloyi have since resigned from the department and gone into business.
Mulaudzi said three of the accused were members of a tender committee at a nursing college in Mankweng.
All officials and former officials were accused of giving businesses to their companies and those of their relatives. They were also accused of failing to disclose their interests in the companies they allegedly awarded tenders to.
Mulaudzi said the officials would obtain and fraudulently use particulars of other people's companies for cover coating, where prices were inflated and tenders awarded to their (officials') companies.
According to court documents relating to the charges against the officials, which Sowetan has also seen, the tender committee at the nursing college was only authorised to adjudicate the procurement of items valued between R5,000 and R50,000.
But the officials would procure other tenders to the value of well over the required amount. Of grave concern was that the companies that benefited were those owned by the officials or their families.
Read the document in part: "The accused, in furtherance of a common purpose and/or acting in concert with each other, did unlawfully, falsely and with intent to defraud, misrepresented to the Department of Health that proper adjudication committee approved tenders for companies, relevant documents were submitted during adjudication of such tenders, they declared their interests in companies, and that they were entitled to receive amounts of monies."
Mulaudzi said investigations were continuing. - frankm@sowetan.co.za
Further probe into R10m health scandal
Five officials of the Limpopo department of health, who were arrested in connection with tender fraud, have been released on R20,000 bail each.
Their cases have been postponed to December 12 for further police investigations.
Matanye Monye, Mojela Sethowa, Gorataone Rampa, Modjadji Kubayi and Mzamane Baloyi appeared in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Friday charged with theft of more than R10-million.
According to police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, Monye, Rampa and Baloyi have since resigned from the department and gone into business.
Mulaudzi said three of the accused were members of a tender committee at a nursing college in Mankweng.
All officials and former officials were accused of giving businesses to their companies and those of their relatives. They were also accused of failing to disclose their interests in the companies they allegedly awarded tenders to.
Mulaudzi said the officials would obtain and fraudulently use particulars of other people's companies for cover coating, where prices were inflated and tenders awarded to their (officials') companies.
According to court documents relating to the charges against the officials, which Sowetan has also seen, the tender committee at the nursing college was only authorised to adjudicate the procurement of items valued between R5,000 and R50,000.
But the officials would procure other tenders to the value of well over the required amount. Of grave concern was that the companies that benefited were those owned by the officials or their families.
Read the document in part: "The accused, in furtherance of a common purpose and/or acting in concert with each other, did unlawfully, falsely and with intent to defraud, misrepresented to the Department of Health that proper adjudication committee approved tenders for companies, relevant documents were submitted during adjudication of such tenders, they declared their interests in companies, and that they were entitled to receive amounts of monies."
Mulaudzi said investigations were continuing. - frankm@sowetan.co.za
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