Cape Town - The case of fraud and corruption against Riversdale councillor Christopher Taute and municipal fieldworker Claudio Conradie has been transferred to the Riversdale Regional Court.
Taute, a Riversdale ward 8 councillor and his co-accused, Conradie, previously appeared in the Riversdale Magistrate’s Court facing 21 charges after their alleged cash-for-jobs scheme was exposed in an anti-corruption drive.
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila, the accused will make their first appearance in the regional court on June 5, 2023.
The two are currently out on a R10 000 bail on the condition that they do not to contact witnesses.
The SAPS Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks) arrested Taute, 62, and Conradie, 36, in McGregor last month following what was described as a lengthy investigation by the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team.
Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said Conradie was appointed by the municipality to recruit candidates for a skills development internship in Riversdale and Still Bay, and they were given a stipend of R4 500.
“It was alleged that Conradie instructed the candidates to pay R1500 from the stipend to the account number belonging to the councillor. Some candidates complied with the instructions and paid up to an amount of R35 000 into Taute’s account.
“One of the employees was also instructed to pay money into the same account for being employed by (the) implementing entity but the employee refused to comply with such an instruction and was then fired as a result of non-compliance,” said Hani.
Taute, an ANC councillor, has stepped aside from his duties while the matter is before court.
Cape Times