PORT ELIZABETH - The chief financial officer at the department of agriculture and rural development in Polokwane, Lucy Manana Seabi and her alleged accomplice Mninikhanya Qwabaza are expected to apply for bail at the Polokwane magistrate’s court on Thursday in their fraud and corruption case.
The pair made their first appearance in court on Wednesday following their arrest, the spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) Captain Matimba Maluleke said.
In March 2014, Seabi allegedly colluded with Qwabaza, who was a service provider, to draft terms of reference for the department’s information technology tender worth R1.3 million.
“She apparently further influenced members of the evaluation committee to endorse her preferred submission to the bid adjudication committee, which resulted in the appointment of a company owned by Qwabaza," Maluleke said.
The department became suspicious and reported the matter to the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation unit.