Agriculture MEC Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa has welcomed the court’s sentence in a fraud matter against a service provider. Picture: Agriculture Department via Facebook
Durban: The KwaZulu-Natal Agriculture and Rural Development MEC says a 15-year jail sentence handed down to a service provider for defrauding the department out of R1.5 million, should serve as a warning that corruption will not be tolerated.
The service provider, Mlungisi Khumalo, was sentenced by the Durban Specialised Commercial Court last week after pleading guilty to eight counts of fraud and 14 counts of money laundering.
In his plea, according to IOL, he revealed that he met his co-accused, Nkosinathi Mkhize, at the Agriculture offices in Cedara, where Mkhize had worked in 2012.
According to Khumalo, Mkhize had disclosed that he managed a large budget within the department and suggested that they could create fake tenders and authorise payments, implying they could make a significant amount of money by collaborating.
Mkhize is currently serving a 16-year term after pleading guilty in connection with the fraud case five years ago.
Welcoming the sentence, Agriculture MEC Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa reiterated the warning to service providers involved in fraud and corruption that their days are numbered.
"We commend the Justice Department for its efficiency in imposing a stringent sentence. This will undoubtedly deter potential fraudsters from engaging in illicit activities with the department. Fraud and corruption must be dealt with whenever it rears its ugly head in our departments and entities."
"We would like to assure the public, who are taxpayers, that they can trust us with their taxes, knowing that their money is in good hands, as we continue to root out rotten elements who attempt to siphon their funds from our departments,“ she said.
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