By Estelle Ellis and Sheena Adams
A current member of parliament and a former MP came to court to plead guilty to travel voucher fraud with plea agreements outlining a string of struggle credentials and good works.
Increase Zandisile Ncinane and Nozabelo Ruth Ntshulana-Bhengu on Monday made a brief, early-morning appearance in the Cape Town regional court and pleaded guilty to fraud of R80 000 and R45 000 respectively.
Neither has previous convictions and both complained that the publicity in the case had taken its toll.
They admitted they had exchanged their travel vouchers for cash but had allowed their travel agent to claim from parliament as if the vouchers were for air tickets.
And they promised to pay parliament back.
Ncinane pleaded guilty to receiving R80 000 in cash from Ilitha Travel between January 2002 to June 2003 in exchange for travel vouchers, while Ntshulana-Bhengu pleaded guilty to receiving R43 000 in cash from Star Travel between January 2002 and June 2003.
Both admitted they "failed to disclose that the claims were false", did so "with the intent to defraud parliament" and also did not "have and cannot offer any legal excuse for (their)... conduct".
Ncinane said in his plea agreement that he was 55 years old and married with four children. He added that he no longer served as an MP and his "only income was currently derived from a small funeral parlour".
During the time that he committed the fraud, he was a member of the sport and recreation portfolio committee.
Ncinane's plea agreement stated that "he comes from a poverty-stricken rural area and has since a young age been involved in various community organisations, especially civic organisations and sports bodies".
Between 1989 and 1994, Ncinane was the president of Athletics South Africa.
He was also an executive member of the SA Rugby Football Union from 1995 to 2001 and president of Border Rugby and Football Union.
At present he is an executive member of a number of organisations, including the Keiskammahoek branch of the ANC, Sanco for the Amatola region in the Eastern Cape and the South African National Sports Council.
He said in his plea agreement that he had led the South African Olympic team to the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
Ncinane was fined R80 000 and given a conditionally suspended sentence of five years.
In her plea agreement Ntshulana-Bhengu said she was 53 years old, a single mother and had to support her own children, the child of her sister, her brother's unemployed wife and their children.
She said she was still serving as an ANC MP on both the portfolio committee for sport and recreation and as chairperson of the portfolio committee for provincial and local government.
Ntshulana-Bhengu, who was awarded a Nelson Mandela Fellowship in Canada, said she had a long history as a community worker.
This included being a member of the Union African National Baptist Church, working at the Wilgespruit Fellowship Centre, starting Ubuntu Development Consultancy in 1995, starting anti-apartheid Third World Shops and mobilising funds from Germany exporting craft materials.
She was fined R45 000 and received a conditionally suspended sentence of three years.
- ANC MP Rhoda Joemat pleaded guilty to fraud of R72 000, was fined R80 000 and given a suspended prison sentence.
- ANC MP Pamela Mnandi pleaded guilty to R34 000 fraud, was fined R40 000 and given a suspended three-year jail sentence.
- ANC MP Mavis Magazi admitted to fraud of R63 000, was fined R60 000 and given a suspended prison sentence.
- ANC MP Tseko Taabe pleaded guilty to R36 000 fraud and was fined R40 000.
- ANC MP Mildred Mpaka was fined R80 000 after admitting R75 000 fraud.