Johannesburg – The arrest of a former Gauteng Transport and Logistics official has been welcomed by the department’s MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela. The official and her accomplice were arrested on charges of fraud, theft, and defeating the ends of justice.
According to a department statement, the fraud and theft are estimated to have cost the Department of Roads and Transport (through g-Fleet Management) around R16 million.
The former official and the accomplice also face another charge of using state vehicles without authorised consent.
Head of department Dr Thulani Mdadane said a strong message must echo within the corridors of the department, especially to those who abuse their positions of trust and steal from the people.
"These individuals shamelessly used state resources with common cause to fashion a private business for themselves. They thought this net would never close in on them, but their day has finally come," said Mdadane.
She said that as her department embarked on steps to root out fraud and corruption, maladministration, and malfeasance in its entities, like the g-Fleet Management Agency, she wanted to assure Gauteng residents that the trust they had bestowed on them wouldn’t be betrayed.
Diale-Tlabela added: "The arrests are the culmination of an investigation spanning six years by the department's fraud and anti-corruption unit, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations, and the NPA.
"The former employee was a regional manager for both the Eastern Cape and Durban regions of the g-Fleet entity, which is in the business of renting and leasing vehicles to state departments," said a department statement.
"While our intervention has brought us to the province of KwaZulu-Natal, our net is cast wide to those dark corners where officials think they can get away with leeching on the resources of the democratic state for their narrow personal gain.
"Today, we have fired only the first salvo at looters of state resources, those who hollow out resources that are meant for the people of Gauteng for their personal gain. I want to take this opportunity to warn these elements that their days are numbered," the MEC warned.
The MEC said that it was important to fight rogue elements in the department and that those who continue to work as trusted stewards and patriots of our democratic state will also benefit from ethical conduct and honesty.
The Star