The corruption case at the Free State’s Ngwathe Municipality involving three rogues, a civilian and two employees, has seen a second accomplice sentenced in the Kroonstad Magistrates’ Court. Karabelo Clement Matlalesa (33) was handed down three years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for three years, on Monday. Matlalesa is a civilian.
The first accused, Tshieliso Raymond Matlalesa (44), was an official at the municipality. He was sentenced in March 2022, being handed down ten years’ imprisonment for corruption and five years’ imprisonment for fraud. Both sentences were suspended for five years on condition that he does not commit the same offence during the period of suspension.
The sentencing of the Matlalesas was the result of probing by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team.
Capt. Christopher Singo, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said both pleaded guilty to charges of fraud.
He said the trial against the third accused, Elma Manjati (36), also an official at the Ngwathe Municipality would continue on 2 October.
Singo said probing uncovered that the trio had colluded to defraud a resident, using the victim’s property and rates account during November 2018.
The victim was approached through a phone call by the suspects. One of the suspects reportedly introduced himself as an official of the Ngwathe Municipality.
“The suspect told the victim that he had been sent by his colleague, who was his supervisor, to make arrangements for the cancellation of the victim’s municipal debt to the amount of R11 000.
“The victim further received WhatsApp messages with a proof of the clearance of his municipal debt to the amount of more than R25 000, which resulted in the victim’s account being reduced to R1 646. Then he received another message with a bank account number where he was instructed to pay an amount of R11 000 for his municipal debt, which was cleared.
“Subsequent to this, on 21 November 2018, the victim reported the matter to the Hawks, resulting in an operation that led to arrest of the suspects on 5 December,” said Singo.
