Johannesburg - A chief director within the Department of Health accused of corruption linked to a multimillion-rand contract awarded to Digital Vibes has been granted bail by the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court (SCC).
Popo Maja, the chief director of Communications within the Department of Health in Pretoria, appeared in court yesterday.
State prosecutor Phumla Dwane-Alpman said Maja was facing a schedule one offence and was charged with two counts of corruption for his alleged role in awarding a contract worth more than R140 million to Digital Vibes.
The company was awarded the contract to provide communication services to the department for the National Health Insurance (NHI) campaign and vital public communications around the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dwane-Alpman explained to the courts that Maja, who was reported as part of the bid evaluation committee which assessed the different bids for the contract, was allegedly paid bribes amounting to R15 000 during this process.
It was alleged that on November 1, 2019, the bid evaluation committee members recommended Digital Vibes be contracted for a period of 12 months, and on the day the committee sat, an amount of R10 000 was paid into Maja’s personal bank account by the company.
A month later, on December 5, 2019, an amount of R5 000 was again paid into his personal account by Digital Vibes.
Dwane-Alpman informed the court that investigations had been completed, that the State was ready to proceed with the case, and that they would not oppose his release on bail.
However, they requested that bail be set at R10 000 and that a number of conditions be attached to ensure Maja’s appearance in court.
The conditions included Maja handing over both his personal and official passports, contacting the investigating officer should he wish to travel outside of the country, and not interfering with State witnesses.
Dwane-Alpman added that Maja may not even require his official passport as he may be suspended at work in light of the court proceedings.
Defence counsel Thokwe Solly Mmakola, however, pleaded for a lower amount to be set and for Maja to retain his official passport as he was still employed with the department and would require it for out-of-province work, which may be delayed by having to reach out to the police.
Mmakola urged the court to consider how Maja had co-operated with both the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations, the Hawks, from the moment the investigating officer contacted him.
He stressed that it also had to be considered that he had voluntarily come forward when the police asked to see him.
“From his conduct, the courts can see that we are dealing with someone who has full respect for the law. He has no qualms about surrendering his personal passport; however, he has an issue with the official passport being handed in as he still has work to conduct.”
The lawyer informed the court that Maja had already faced disciplinary proceedings at his workplace in relation to the matter and been demoted as a result; therefore, the likelihood of further repercussions was slim.
The courts found that Maja was not a flight risk and granted him R5 000 bail.
He was also ordered to hand in both his personal and official passports, as he would still be able to retrieve them from the investigating officer by phoning to make arrangements to collect them.
The department’s spokesperson, Foster Mohale, said it was aware of Maja’s appearance in court and would first gather more information about the alleged charges before making any pronouncements on the matter.
“The department upholds its position of zero tolerance for fraud and corruption and will allow the legal process to take its course without interference. The department believes in the principle of innocent until proven guilty, and procedural fairness will be adhered to.”
Mohale further confirmed that the department had effected a salary demotion for 12 months for Maja as recommended by an independent legal panel.
In September 2021, President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the release of the report by the SIU into the National Department of Health’s contract awarded to Digital Vibes. The contract was found to have been awarded improperly and led to the resignation of former minister of health, Dr Zweli Mkhize.
The Star