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The Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court has sentenced a former messenger in the office of the Eastern Cape Department of Health to 10 years behind bars for PPE fraud.
The National Prosecuting Authority says 37-year-old Ayanda Matinise, was accused of using his proximity to the former MEC, Sindiswa Gomba, to commit fraud during the national State of Disaster.
NPA spokesperson, Luxolo Tyali, said regulations during this period allowed for some deviation from the ordinary procurement procedures.
“In the period between 09 and 17 September 2020, Matinise wrote, signed, and sent a forged letter to Falaz Protection Services under the false pretence that the ECDOH commits to procuring 700 000 nitriles, non-sterile, powder-free examination KN 95 surgical masks.”
He said consequently, FALAZ submitted a quotation and a declaration of interest to the value of R23.7 million, resulting in PPE being delivered to Health Department stores in Mthatha.
Tyali said the scam became apparent when a company director had demanded payment for services rendered after Department officials bore no knowledge of the letter of commitment or the procurement.
Investigations conducted by the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) and the Hawks led to the arrest of Matinise, who had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo, has welcomed the sentence handed down on Tuesday.
