| 2025/03/18 |
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Media Statement
NORTH WEST – Patrick Pogisho Shikwane (53), Leslina Olga Ndlovu (45), the former Chief Financial Officer of Bojanala District Municipality; Patrick Tlhapi (53), the Bojanala District Municipality Chief Whip; Gontse Kekana (39), the secretary to the former municipal manager; and Mantsho Gloria Moremi (38), the service provider, appeared in the Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 18 March 2025, facing charges of fraud, money laundering, corruption and contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003. The accused were arrested on Monday, 17 March 2025, by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation, Serious Corruption Investigation, and the Hawks’ Head Office Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS). Their arrest follows an investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation into allegations of defrauding the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality of over R25 million between December 2018 and May 2019. It is alleged that in 2018, Ndlovu colluded with a service provider, who is still at large, to have her company, which was not on the database of the municipality’s service providers, to claim payments for services rendered to the municipality. The CFO and the service provider allegedly used details of a registered service provider to claim for payments. However, the payments were paid into a bank account that was not on the municipality’s database. Investigation revealed that funds, amounting to over R2 million, were transferred from the service provider’s bank account into the bank account of the CFO’s company. It was further established that R150 000 was transferred from the service provider’s bank account into the personal bank account of the Chief Whip. Secretary to the former municipal manager reportedly benefitted R850 000 from the funds. Shikwane faces 53 counts of fraud, 53 counts of money laundering and one count of contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act. Ndlovu faces 53 counts of fraud, 53 counts of money laundering and five counts of corruption. Tlhapi faces one count of corruption, while Kekana faces two counts of corruption; and Moremi faces one count of money laundering. The matter has been postponed to Thursday, 20 March 2025, for formal bail application. The arrest of two other service providers is imminent.
The acting North West Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Brigadier Silas Munzhedzi and the Director of Public Prosecutions in North West, Dr Rachel Makhari, have applauded collaborative work between the Hawks and NPA in ensuring that the accused are brought to book.
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