Rustenburg – A director at the department of agriculture in De Aar in the Northern Cape who was arrested for fraud related to the unlawful sale of land, has been granted R3000 bail.
The Hawks arrested the 56-year-old Sicelo Williams in Kimberley on Tuesday.
Police said he is facing charges of fraud and money laundering and his case had been postponed to May 22, 2023 for further investigation.
According to Hawks spokesperson Captain Tebogo Thebe, Williams purported to be the lawful owner of vacant land in the De Aar area. The land was privately owned.
“Initially, the suspect allegedly promised to facilitate a sale meeting between the owner of the land and the buyer.
“At a later stage, the suspect changed and said that he would be representing the owner since the lawful land owner was constantly busy in Cape Town. The said vacant land was visited and all relevant legal papers concluded.
"A payment of R95 450.00 was effected to the benefit of the suspect. The vacant land sold never belonged to the suspect, nor his associates,“ Captain Thebe said.
The man was expected to appear in De Aar Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, facing a charge of fraud.
In a separate incident, a former Joe Morolong councillor, Keemenao Julia Katong, 53, was found guilty and sentenced in the Kuruman Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on five counts of corruption.
"During 2019, the complainant received a contract to provide transport services for construction workers of Down Touch Investment.
“The complainant was then approached by the former councillor and demanded vehicle tyres as a form of gratitude in order for her not to terminate the contract.
“The accused further demanded monthly cash payments from the complainant. R14 500 was paid by the complainant to the accused in order to keep the contract,” Captain Thebe said.
The contractor could not make further payments to Katong and she threatened to have his contract terminated.
The matter was reported to the Kimberley-based Hawks and she was arrested.
“Katong was sentenced to four years direct imprisonment for five counts of corruption,” Thebe said.
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