Senior Bhisho official and family members in court for fraud and corruption

23 Sep 2024 | Thulisile Mapongwana

Supplied

A senior Bhisho government official appeared before the East London Magistrates Court on Monday on charges of fraud and corruption related to a land claim.

The Director of Quality Assurance at the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Funeka Malusi, and her 25-year-old daughter, Chulumanco, were in the dock with five other relatives, including their domestic worker, after they were arrested over the weekend.

Their relatives are Zoleka Mbinambina, Nokuthembela Malgas, Luvuyo Vika, Avukile Gxalo, and their domestic worker, Zoliswa Manditsa. Their ages range from 25-56 years.

The suspects allegedly benefited over R13 million rand in fraudulent land claims between 2017 and 2024, after Malusi allegedly submitted and approved fraudulent claims.

She is further alleged to have changed the bank details of lawful beneficiaries to her own account and that of her relatives. As a result, none of the lawful beneficiaries received their payouts.

Chief Director of the regional Land claims office, Zama Memela, confirmed that Malusi has been suspended by the department.

“We found out about the investigation last year in August when the Hawks came to our office looking for information. In December, they came again and started taking files and laptops used by certain officials.”

The Hawks had previously reported that the losses suffered by the department were just over R9 million rand.

Mamela said, “we were shocked to hear in court this morning that the amount is now standing at R13 million, meaning the investigation is ongoing and we will await the outcome to know the actual amount that the department was defrauded.”

The seven suspects submitted affidavits applying for bail, which went unopposed by the state.

Malusi’s bail was set at R30 000, while the bail of the six others was set at R10 000.

They are due back in court on 7 November.