Several officials employed by the Eastern Cape provincial administration were arrested at their offices on Wednesday in connection with fraud and corruption charges, police said.
Superintendent Fatyela Mzumkisi said the joint anti-corruption task team began making the arrests at about 8.30am when the officials arrived for work in Queenstown, Umtata and Port Elizabeth.
Numerous documents were also taken as evidence in fraud and corruption investigations involving R4,4-million, Mzumkisi said.
All those arrested appeared in court and were released on bail, Mzumkisi said.
Mbonisi Mjali, who was recently retrenched from his post with the department of social welfare and pensions in Queenstown, was released on R3000 bail when he appeared in connection with fraud and corruption estimated at R2-million.
Two other public servants wanted in connection with the same charges were out of the province on Wednesday but had arranged to hand themselves over to police on Thursday, Mzumkisi said.
Charges of complicity in fraud and bribery were brought against two court officials in Port Elizabeth. They are Elizabeth Nicholson (42), a senior administrative officer with the justice department, and 31-year-old Nevonia Langsos, a court official in the city.
Also arrested in Port Elizabeth were Tobeka Mgcindi (40), a Telkom middle-management employee, and 44-year-old Nonene Mbikimba, an education department senior manager based at Umzimkulu.
Nomzamo Shushu of the Umtata justice department appeared in the local magistrate’s court in connection with charges of fraud amounting to R29 000. She was released on R5 000 bail.
Umtata resident Nomaisraelities Didi was charged with fraudulently collecting R50 000 of pension money by using a portfolio of identity books.
Investigations into corruption in the Eastern Cape were continuing, Mzumkisis said, and all those arrested would appear again in court on November 19. — Sapa
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