Former Lepelle Northern Water Board Chief Executive Officer, Phineas Legodi, returns to court on Monday following his arrest for alleged involvement in fraud.
The Hawks arrested Legodi, the board’s chairperson of the Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC), Gwako Micheal Moseamedi, and businessman, Emanuel Matome Sefalafala, more than a week ago.
They have been in jail since.
On Thursday, more accused were added in the R45 million tender fraud case.
They will be applying for bail at the Polokwane Magistrate Court today.
The seven, including a construction firm, Falaz General Trading and Construction (Pty) Ltd, face charges of fraud, alternatively theft, forgery and uttering, with Legodi facing an additional charge of contravention of the Public Finance Management Act.
“It is alleged that in 2018, the Lepelle Northern Water Board advertised a tender in the Limpopo Province for the collection, removal and disposal of hazardous waste management in 2018. Legodi was the CEO, an accounting officer of the Lepelle Northern Water Board, at the time,” says the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
Based on the recommendations of the BEC, chaired by Moseamedi, and the Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC), Legodi appointed Sefalafala’s company, Falaz General Trading and Construction, to render services.
Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, has welcomed the arrests, saying she hopes other cases involving officials in the Eastern and Western Capes are finalised soon.
She has dismissed claims that South Africa’s water boards are riddled with corruption.
“The vast majority of our water boards are run by men and women who are determined to ensure that our boards achieve their mandate of delivering water to South Africans,” she says.
She, however, added that her department will not have mercy on officials who are implicated in graft.
“We have a responsibility as civil servants to serve our people with honour and dignity. This is what we owe our forebears who sacrificed so much for us to have this freedom we enjoy today,” she says.
Legodi resigned as the CEO of Lepelle Water Board in August after losing a court battle to have his precautionary suspension set aside.
He was facing insubordination and maladministration at the time.
Musina community members took to the streets on Friday, demanding jobs and business opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
They also called for the water authority to be brought back to Musina.
The residents marched to the area’s Emergency Services offices; the department of Home Affairs; De Beers, local hospital, SAPS offices, Raubex construction group and the Musina Mall, among other organisations.
“We demand 85% local employment (we demand proof of employment from each store), such proof should be accompanied by proof of resident. We demand proof for social responsibility, how much did your company contribute in terms of social responsibility,” their memorandum reads.
The locals also want CVs for new shop vacancies submitted to them for verification purposes before interviews are conducted.
Musina Residents Chairperson Freedom Boikanyo says they also want Musina Mall to explain why most of the shops brought in managers from outside the area, despite promises that the mall was created to create work for locals.
“Why do Musina people hold casual jobs? Why did the Musina Mall hire an outside security company while the local community has many security companies? What has Musina Mall done to date in terms of social responsibility?”
At the EMS, they submitted their list of demands to the area manager. They want to know, among others, why residents are being referred to Polokwane when calling for help. They also demanded that ambulance drivers be local residents as they know Musina well.
They accuse De Beers of awarding Raubex a tender to build a new tarred road without advertising.
“Why did the company not use this as an opportunity to empower local contractors rather than a well-established company? Why did you start with a road that the community hardly uses/,” they ask in their list of demands.
The residents also demanding the reinforcement of the police force in the area.
At Home Affairs, they asked for investigations into allegations of foreign nationals being awarded South African Identity Documents (ID).
They have given the companies seven days to respond to their demands.