The former chief executive officer of the Southern Cape Technical and Vocational Education and Training College has been busted alongside seven other colleagues for allegedly stealing R24 million from the institution.
Luvuyo Lennox Ngubelanga and his team, which consists of public officials from the education department, were nabbed on Tuesday following an extensive investigation.
Hawks spokesperson, Zinzi Hani, says the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team in George together with Public Order Policing arrested the group.
“The eight suspects will be charged with corruption, sixteen counts of fraud, alternatively theft,” said Hani.
“It is alleged that between March 2009 and August 2014, the suspects who were employees and contractors of the South Cape College colluded together in violation of the relevant policies and procedures to unlawfully and intentionally submit non-compliance bid documents and quotations for the construction and renovations of the South Cape Colleges across all campuses in the District.”
She says former CEO Ngubelanga allegedly influenced other officials to deviate from the tender process in order for the scheme to benefit the involved entities.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that some of the employees were directors or members of certain entities and never disclosed that they were involved directly or indirectly.
“This resulted in prejudice and a loss to the South Cape TVET College to the amount over R24 million.
“This then led to the matter being reported to the Hawks’ in 2014 by the Department of Higher Education after it was established by the college that the funds meant for the construction of the college were used by the suspects to enrich themselves.”
The group appeared in the George Magistrate’s Court yesterday and were released on various amounts of bail.
The case was postponed to 11 May.