Polokwane - A 53-year-old senior official of the Molemole Local Municipality in Limpopo will appear in the Polokwane Magistrates' Court on Monday in connection with the theft of R4.8 million, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), commonly known as the Hawks, in Limpopo said.
The official, who has not yet been named, was arrested by members of the Hawks serious commercial crime investigation unit in Polokwane on Friday, Hawks spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke said in a statement.
The Hawks received a tip-off in 2018 about theft of money at the Makgatho Community Property Association, allegedly by some of the committee members.
The investigation revealed that between 2015 and 2018 the suspect was mentoring the community association and allegedly connived with other committee members of the association to award a farming tender to a company linked to his wife without following due processes.
"It was further revealed that the company never rendered any service to the community despite having received over R4.8 million from the association.
"The suspect will appear in the Polokwane Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 5 October 2020 to face theft charges. In the meantime, the Hawks are pursuing other suspects that are linked to the case," Maluleke said.
Acting head of the Hawks in Limpopo Brigadier Thabo Ramela welcomed the arrest and warned all government officials that theft of public money would not be tolerated by the Hawks.
“No stone will be left unturned against those who continue to abuse their powers by stealing from the poorest of the poor. We will investigate without fear or favour and bring those who are implicated to book,” Ramela said.
African News Agency (ANA)