Staff Reporter
The two women arrested by the Hawks in an early morning raid yesterday for allegedly siphoning state funds meant for the implementation of various agricultural projects in the Free State have been granted bail by the Bloemfontein Regional Court.
Businesswoman Malikomo Mohapi, 55, and former chief financial officer for the Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Seipati Dhlamini, 49, were each granted bail of R10 000 when they made their initial court appearance today.
The case was postponed to September 10 for a High Court date.
Mohapi, who is the sole director of Rekgonne Community Projects, and Dhlamini are facing charges of corruption, fraud and money laundering involving over R244 million.
The matter, according to the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), is not part of the much-publicised Estina Dairy Project scandal which has since been struck off the court roll, but it surfaced during investigations into that case.
NPA regional spokesperson Phaladi Shuping told The Free Stater by telephone that some unusual transactions into Dhlamini’s bank account were picked, prompting the authorities to launch a separate investigation.
According to Shuping, the state alleges that between January 1, 2012 and December 1, 2016 when Dhlamini was the chief financial officer for the provincial agricultural department, Mohapi’s company Superior Trading Quality which also trades as Rekgonne Community Projects was illicitly awarded tenders to the value of about R244.4 million.
In return, Mohapi allegedly made cash payments or transfers to Dhlamini totalling R267 000.
“The Department of Agriculture published invitation for tender in relation to the appointment of implementing agents,” Shuping said.
However, Mohapi’s company was never part of the compulsory briefings at which all businesses wishing to submit bids would be awarded a certificate of attendance.
“The certificate is very important because it must be attached to the bid documentation,” Shuping explained.
“Superior Trading Quality was never part of this compulsory briefings but the company would submit tender documents with certificate of attendance attached.
“Mohapi also failed to declare her relationship to Dhlamini.”
On the other hand, Dhlamini had a legal duty to disclose to her employer or the department of agriculture all benefits or gift she received from private individuals or entities on an annual basis but failed to do so, according to the state.
“The state alleges that the payments made to Dhlamini by Mohapi make no legitimate business sense in that Dhlamini had no legitimate business dealings with Mohapi or Superior Trading Quality,” the NPA spokesperson said.
“The said payments or transfers were disguised in the bank statements as ‘Telkom refund’, ‘loan payment’ or ‘medical services’.”
Dhlamini is currently working for the Free State Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs as deputy director-general.
In February 2018, Dhlamini was one of the eight people and several companies linked to the controversial Gupta family who were charged with corruption, theft, fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud and contravening the Public Finance Management Act relating to the Estina Dairy Project in Vrede, north-eastern Free State.
The NPA provisionally withdrew the Estina Dairy Project case before the Bloemfontein Regional Court in November the same year saying it wanted to finalise investigations.
At that time the NPA said investigators had faced several challenges in getting critical information from authorities in India and the United Arab Emirates where some Gupta-linked companies are said to have moved state funds meant for the project.