Johannesburg - The Land Bank wants a speedy conclusion to priority cases involving its former senior officials in finance programmes to help emerging black farmers, after years on the court roll.
The investigating authorities would not say yesterday how far the cases were, but the accused were still appearing before the courts.
Former Land Bank chief executive Philemon Mohlahlane and two others were charged with defrauding the AgriBEE fund of millions of rand a few years ago.
Another former Land Bank senior official Theo Behrens and three other people were arrested a few years back for stealing millions of rand from the Micro Agricultural Finance of South Africa (Mafisa) project.
The Land Bank said these matters were still pending before the courts.
In the 2015 annual report of the Land Bank, auditor-general Kimi Makwetu did not make a determination on this matter.
“The previously reported investigations relating to irregularities in the Land for Development Finance Unit and in respect of AgriBEE and Mafisa funds administered on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry are still in progress,” Makwetu said.
Mohlahlane and two others were arrested in November 2011 on charges of defrauding the AgriBEE fund of R19 million.
The case has been going on in the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court since then, and the auditor-general said the matter had not been concluded.
This was since the time the Land Bank laid criminal charges against Mohlahlane and former Gauteng MEC for housing Dan Mofokeng, and another person.
In another fraud case linking a former official of the bank, Behrens was charged with three others for fraud and theft amounting to R18m.
This related to the Mafisa project in the early 2000s, and Behrens and the other people were arrested in 2010.
Behrens was fired from the land bank in 2006, and the matter was before the Polokwane courts.
In his remarks on the bank’s annual report Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene said the bank was critical in shaping agricultural direction in the country.
“Government has expanded the capital base of the Land Bank, to enhance its capacity to partner with other institutions in financing agricultural development,” said Nene.
“The National Treasury is also working with the Departments of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Rural Development and Land Reform to support agricultural investment and employment,” he said.
He said the government would continue to help emerging black farmers.
This would be done through the acquisition of more land.
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