BBC News
Seven suspects, including local government officials and former African National Congress (ANC) spokesperson Pule Mabe, have been charged with fraud in a South African court. The defendants appeared in court following an investigation into a 27 million rand (approximately £1.2 million; $1.6 million) government tender.
The inquiry revealed that five years ago, the provincial government of Gauteng signed a contract with a company named Enviro-Mobi for waste management services. The company failed to disclose its links to Mabe, who was an MP at the time of the contract, according to a police statement.
During the court hearing, which took place on Wednesday, the suspects were not asked to enter pleas, although Mabe and his wife denied the allegations. All seven suspects surrendered to South Africa’s elite police unit, the Hawks, prior to the hearing. They included two executives from Gauteng’s provincial government.
The defendants were granted bail during the hearing held in Ekurhuleni, a municipality located east of Johannesburg. Outside the courthouse, Mabe announced he would step down from the ANC’s executive committee, clarifying that it was “not because he is guilty.”
The contract in question stipulated that Enviro-Mobi should receive upfront payments, and funds were to be released only after completing a portion of the work. However, the investigation found that Gauteng’s Department of Agriculture had paid Enviro-Mobi 25 million rand for 200 vehicles, even though the goods remained with the service provider.
This is not the first instance of corruption allegations against Mabe. In 2013, he, along with two others, was arrested over accusations of defrauding the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), but they were later cleared of all charges. Additionally, in 2017, Mabe was fined after a parliamentary committee determined he had improperly benefited from a contract with the state-owned rail company.