South Africa’s elite Scorpions police unit said on Monday they have raided Department of Minerals and Energy Affairs offices to probe allegations of corruption, and diamonds formed a key part of the investigation.
The unit raided offices in Klerksdorp, near Johannesburg, and Kimberley, the town that sprang up in South Africa’s diamond rush at the end of the 19th century, early on Monday morning, said the unit’s head Percy Sonn.
”We are here with the department’s Director General Sandile Nogxina. He asked us to come and search the premises because there were allegations of corruption in the offices relating to concessions,” said Sonn, who was at the Klerksdorp office.
The department was not immediately available for comment.
”We are searching for evidence to support these allegations. I came down here myself because I regard it as very important,” Sonn told Reuters.
”It revolves around diamonds,” he said, adding the Scorpions were investigating allegations against more than five people. – Reuters