Digital Vibes project manager Lizeka Tonjeni at the Commercial Crimes court in Pretoria. File Picture: Oupa Mokoena/Independent Newspapers
A Former Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) employee, Lizeka Tonjeni, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment for accepting a R160 000 bribe while she was a project manager of Digital Vibes communications agency.
Tonjeni was sentenced on Friday by the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
The crime was committed when the 49-year-old was appointed by MISA to manage a contract worth nearly R4 million, which was awarded to Digital Vibes in 2018.
“From December 2018 until August 2020, while Tonjeni was still a project manager, she received payments of R160,000.00 that were not authorised and due to her, from Digital Vibes,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana.
Mahanjana said Tonjeni was arrested after she handed herself over to the police at the Pretoria Central Police Station on May 24, 2022.
She was released on R5,000 bail. Her bail was later revoked when she travelled and moved to the Eastern Cape without notifying the investigating officer and applied for a new passport while her bail conditions prohibited her from doing so.
In court, Tonjeni pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied receiving fraudulent payments from Digital Vibes.
She testified that the payments received from Digital Vibes director, Tahera Mather, were payments for weight loss and energy booster products that she was selling.
She added that she still owes the director R85,000 because she was unable to deliver some of the products and pay back the money.
Mahanjana added that the State called witnesses employed at MISA who gave evidence that proved Tonjeni was guilty of the charges against her.
During sentencing, Tonjeni asked the court to impose a non-custodial sentence because her child was young and needed her.
However, the prosecution asked the judge to send her to prison because Tonjeni committed a serious offence of corruption.
Furthermore, it was argued that Tonjeni showed no remorse for the offences committed, and did not take the court into her confidence when she lied about the circumstances of her child.
“Having a minor child is not a get out of jail free card that offenders can use to escape prison,” the prosecution argued.
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