Anti-graft net widens as 2 more nabbed in E Cape

By Nwabisa Nofemele

TWO women were arrested and charged yesterday in the Eastern Cape as part of the four-day anti-graft swoop by the provincial Joint Anti-Corruption Task Team.

Jactt spokesman Superintendent Mzukisi Fatyela said that the women were arrested for child support grant and driver’s licence fraud in Mthatha.

This brings the number of people arrested during the four-day operation to a total of 32. Thirty of them are accused of collectively defrauding the state of R30-million.

Student nurse Noxolo Zitho was arrested at work in Mthatha for delivering fake driver’s licences to clients in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

She was allegedly part of a traffic department syndicate in Mthatha and her partner, a furniture shop employee who was also a runner for the syndicate, was arrested yesterday in Mthatha.

Fatyela said that they were still investigating the other people who were implicated as part of the syndicate.

A home affairs employee, Ntombencinci Khondlo, was arrested at her work place in Mthatha for defrauding the Eastern Cape social development department of R25 000 in child support grants since 2002.

Among those arrested earlier this week were former Border Cricket Board chief executive Reunert Bauser several government department employees, a member of the SA National Defence Force and some businessmen.

Fatyela said the unit expected to make another arrest tomorrow.

“We have already written and informed the individual, who is returning from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth today, of our intentions,” he said.

Fatyela said the operation was initially planned for three days, but had to be extended to four days because the people who were being investigated had submitted wrong addresses on their official documents, which made it difficult for them to be traced.

Most of the people were arrested in Ngqamakhwe, Butterworth, Mthatha and East London. Fatyela said Jactt’s operation would eventually extend to Bloemfontein and Knysna.