The civil rights organisation AfriForum today laid criminal charges of fraud against the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality at the Lyttelton Police Station in Centurion.
This follows various investigations by AfriForum, as well as documents submitted to the organisation. The fraud apparently occurred in 2014/2015 when the Municipality was still being administrated by the ANC.
The charge includes proof that fraud of about R750 000 had been committed, as well as proof of payment of irregular invoices.
“Investigations undertaken by AfriForum indicate that officials and so-called contractors were co-opted to draw up and approve quotations and then make payment on these quotations without any services having been rendered. It also seems as if the quotation amounts deliberately never exceeded R30 000, because formal tender processes would have to be followed then,” says Lambert de Klerk, AfriForum’s Regional Coordinator for Gauteng North.
“We hope that guilty parties will be brought to book and that justice will prevail. AfriForum will do all in its power to see to it that tax-payers’ money is spent responsibly and correctly, and that all possible criminal activities are carefully scrutinised. The DA is now in charge of this Municipality a we trust that AfriForum will have a positive cooperative relationship with them moving forward,” says Marcus Pawson, AfriForum’s Head of Local Government Affairs.