Three Mhlathuze Water fraud case accused to hear bail decision on Tuesday
|Published
They have all spent a week behind bars awaiting a ruling on their bail application at the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court. The six accused in the dock of the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court last week. Three of them are waiting for a bail decision. Picture: Doctor Ngcobo African News Agency (ANA)
Durban - KwaZulu-Natal lawyer Sthembiso Mhlanga, suspended CEO of Mhlathuze Water Mthokozisi Duze and debt collector Siphiwe Mabaso will know on Tuesday whether they will be granted bail.
The three are among six accused in a fraud case relating to a Mhlatuze Water procurement project in 2018.
They have spent a week behind bars awaiting a ruling on their bail application at the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court after they were arrested by the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigation (Hawks) last Monday.
The other accused, who include director-general in the premier’s office Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize, suspended Mhlathuze Water chief finance officer Babongile Mnyandu and Thabiso Khumalo were released on bail last week.
Bail for Mnyandu was set at R60 000, and bail for Khumalo was set at R5 000 on Tuesday.
On Friday, bail for Mkhize was set at R25 000.
The magistrate said he needed more time to decide on his ruling in respect of the bail application for the other accused. He adjourned the matter to Tuesday.
Mkhize, Mabaso, Mhlanga and Duze were charged with intimidation, defeating or obstructing the course of justice and fraud, while Duze, Mhlanga, Khumalo and Mnyandu were charged with fraud and corruption.
The charges stem from an appointment that Mhlatuze Water made. The water utility had to appoint a panel of legal service providers to render services for three years.
The State alleges that Duze and Mnyandu colluded to have Mhlanga, Khumalo and Mhlanga’s company appointed as part of this panel and to ensure that the latter were entitled to 80% of the work that needed to be done.
Regarding the intimidation and defeating the ends of justice charges, according to the charge sheet, in February the chairperson of the Mhlathuze Water board, Thabi Shange, was visited by Mabaso, who pretended to be a member of Military Intelligence in Durban. He claimed the unit was investigating all boards of public and state-owned entities.
However, the State alleges it was established that he was not from intelligence and the incident had been related to the forensic probe into the legal panel issue.