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Hawks and police vehicles outside the municipality’s offices
The investigation of corruption allegations against the Polokwane Municipality in Limpopo has intensified.
The Hawks have searched and seized documents from municipal offices.
There have been allegations by some concerned residents and political parties levelled against Executive Mayor John Mpe and Municipal Manager Thuso Nemugumoni.
The duo allegedly benefited from millions of rand in the awarding of tenders at the municipality.
The Hawks in Limpopo have enforced a recent order granted by the High Court in Polokwane to seek documents from the office of the Municipal Manager.
This forms part of ongoing investigations into allegations of corruption.
A team from the investigative unit has engaged with officials from the municipality, including their legal representatives.
“Those documents have been made available for them because as a municipality we have always emphasised that whenever there are issues we are cooperating with law enforcement agencies if they have the correct or valid letters to say they need documents we will avail ourselves and cooperate but we will not go into details in terms of what they are looking for but we have made those documents available,” says Thipa Selala, Polokwane Municipality spokesperson.
Opposition political parties are closely monitoring the latest developments.
“We welcome any investigation and we hope that there will be full cooperation with the Hawks. The information is very faint at the moment. It seems they are obtaining some information. They have a court order. We don’t have any specific details of that court order but we hope the details will come out,” says DA Caucus Finance spokesperson Jacques Jourbert.
“One would like us to give the Hawks their time so that they can be able to be accorded an opportunity to do their work and that the municipality would comply with the laws of this country and cooperate and give relevant documents which will be to assist us,” says EFF Limpopo Chairperson Lawrence Mapoulo.
The Hawks haven’t revealed the nature of the seized documents.
