Pretoria - The Pretoria Magistrate’s Court released Brigadier Stephina Mahlangu and six other accused on bail after they were allegedly involved in four irregular contracts valued at over R1 million in the SAPS National Police Commissioner’s Corporate Services Office.
The other accused are Kishene Chetty, Kumarasen Prithiviraj, Salamina Khoza, Harry Milanzi, Abigayle Esau and Lorette Joubert.
They were all released on R3 000 bail each.
Investigating Directorate (ID) spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka said the group faces charges of fraud, theft, corruption and forgery.
“The companies that are owned by Kishene Chetty and cover-quoted for Sifikile Furniture and Projects (Pty) Ltd are: Bambanani Marketing and Projects Pty Ltd, Baroma Construction and Office Consumables Pty LTD, Super Stationery Distributors Pty Ltd and Vatika Group Projects Pty Ltd.
“The contracts in question were awarded between 2014 and 2017, for the procurement of toners, educational material and digital recording systems,” said Seboka.
Advocate Andrea Johnson, the head of the ID, said these arrests were a clear indication that no one, including any government department, would be exempt where there was proof of criminality.
“The consistent hard work of the joint ID/SAPS team is commended,” said Johnson.
The accused are expected back in court onJune 29.
In another matter, a metro police officer from eThekwini, 46, is expected to appear in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday for faking the robbery of his service firearm.
The officer was arrested on Friday and charged with perjury and defeating the ends of justice.
The officer reported a false case last Wednesday at the Mariannhill police station, claiming he was held up by three unknown men outside his house in Savannah Park, who demanded his service pistol.
He said the gun had 15 rounds of ammunition.
Police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said that during an investigation it was established that there were contradictions in the officer’s statement, and when he was re-interviewed, it was discovered that he had reported a false case.
Ngcobo said the police discovered that the officer had lost his firearm but did not report it to the eThekwini police management.
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