CAPE TOWN, August 29 (ANA) – A former municipal manager at Oudtshoorn in the Klein Karoo, was effectively jailed for six years on Tuesday, on five counts of fraud and one of money laundering, altogether involving R225,900.
Thandile Wilbarforce Salman, 34, appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Bellville before Magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg.
Salman pleaded not guilty and had maintained his innocence right to the very end.
The magistrate said Salman was an intelligent person, and a current member of the African National Congress (ANC) “with a bright future ahead”.
She said Salman had used the bank accounts of friends and family in order to divert money fraudulently obtained to himself.
“In some instances, you even lied to them about the reason that you needed to use their bank accounts,” she told him.
She added: “Lies are often the seeds that grow into fraudulent trees.”
It seemed to the court that the new national sport in South Africa was public officials looting the coffers of municipalities, as if there were no tomorrow, she said.
Two other municipal officials from Oudtshoorn, Ronnie Lottering and Noel Petersen, are currently out on bail pending the outcome of their appeal against their five-year prison sentences each, relating to the current case.
In the Salman case, prosecutor Ezmerelda Johnson led testimony that the municipality had had to be placed under administration twice, as a result of management fraud, maladministration and corruption – the first time in 2007 and again last year.
Salman was arrested in 2012, following investigations involving the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (Hawks) Serious Commercial Crime Unit.
According to the charge sheet, Salman fraudulently obtained a draft or pro-forma invoices and quotations. From these, he produced fake invoices and quotations, which he falsely claimed were issued by legitimate service providers for work done, and also requested payment.
– African News Agency (ANA)
