The former Free State Sports, Arts, and Culture head, other governent officials, and two companies appeared in Welkom Magistrate’s Court on Friday charged with 20 counts of corruption in connection with the scandal-plagued development of the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Museum in Brandfort.
The accusations are a direct consequence of the contentious management that the department displayed during the building of the museum.
Tsoarelo Malakoane, 56, a former department head, Monyane Sefantsi, 53, Eunice Aaron, 55, Lodewikus Cilliers, 80, Lebogang Sebeela, 47, and Georgia Thubane, 47, are charged with 20 counts of unlawfully awarding a contract to two companies.
All implicated government officials, the companies and their executives are charged with fraud, bribery, money laundering, and violations of the Municipal Management Act.
Phaladi Suping, a spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority’s Free State Division, stated that an agreement was signed on July 20 and 22, 2008, which stated that the Free State Department of Sports and Culture was mandated to provide the funds for the museum, and that the Lejweleputswa Municipality was appointed as the agent to implement the project.
In his capacity as Head of Department, Malakoane is said to have approved the payment to Lejweleputsa Municipality while Sebeela is said to have done so in his capacity as Supply Chain Director.
Suping asserts that despite the signed agreement, Sefatsi, a manager at Lejweleputswa Municipality, paid Architect Amalgamation close to R500,000 without following the appropriate procurement procedures.
Suping said Architect Amalgamation had not yet registered with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession when the contract was awarded to them.
Aaron eventually succeeded Sefatsi as manager as time progressed. Aaron paid Architect Celliers Greyvenstein Closed Corporation R204 000 despite knowing there is no legal contract between the Municipality and the company.
Suping said the two companies were paid R704,000 without a contract, and they didn’t provide any services.
Even though they signed an agreement on August 27, 2008, it was said that Malakoane used his position as Head of Department and Sebeela’s position as Supply Chain Director to approve payments without following proper procurement procedures.
Suping said an investigation found Architect Amalgamation wasn’t registered with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession when the contract was awarded.
Suping claimed that the two companies were paid R704,000 without a legal contract, and that neither company performed any work in exchange for the money.
As a result of one of the accused still being missing, he claimed that the case had been delayed until November 11, 2022, while the state decides the forum..
Aaron was granted bail of R3000. Celliers got R10 000 bail and Sefatsi, Thubane, Sebeela and Malakoane, who is currently the HOD of the Free State Department of Education, were each granted bail of R20 000.
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