The High Court in Limpopo has ordered the seizure of assets belonging to 3 former Senior Government officials from the Limpopo Provincial Department of Health and Social Development and close members of their families. This follows an application by the Asset Forfeiture Unit in the province.The officials, Matanya Gordon Monye, Mojela Vincent Sethowa and Gorataone Gloria Rampa were arrested by the SAPS in August 2015 and have been charged with Corruption, Fraud and Money Laundering. There are three separate trials relating to this case pending in the Regional Court sitting in Mankweng.
Monye was a Senior State Accountant, Sethowa was Chief Provisioning Officer and Rampa a Deputy Director Corporate Services in the Department. They were all based at the Department’s finance section at the Nursing College.
Ernst and Young was engaged by the Department to conduct a forensic investigations into contracts awarded during the period between April 2006 and June 2009 at the Nursing College. Based on the factual findings of the forensic investigation, a police investigation docket was opened at the Polokwane Police station.
According to the papers filed before court, these officials were in the course of their employment also appointed as members of the Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC) of the Nursing College. The forensic investigation into the awarding of contracts at the Nursing College revealed a number of irregularities including fraudulent misrepresentations made to the Nursing College and the Department by these officials as well as collusion that led to the awarding of the said contracts.
It is alleged that these officials failed to follow the formal adjudication processes for procurement of goods and/or services as provided for by the Department’s Procurement Policy Guidelines, Delegations, Processes and Procedures, Treasury Regulations issued in terms of the Public Management Act 1 of 1999 (PFMA), section 4.3 of the Public Service Code of Conduct and section 217 (1) of the Constitution.
It is further alleged that they, as members of the Nursing College’s Bid Adjudication Committee, fraudulently awarded tenders to companies in which they themselves and/or their close family members had interests and had failed to disclose their interests in those entities.
They also engaged in what is called cover quoting, fraudulently submitting quotations from other companies with inflated prices so that their own entities could score higher on pricing.
As a result of their actions, their companies and those of their close family members and relatives were awarded contracts valued at over R12 Million during the period of April 2006 and June 2009.
