WeeklySA_AdminSick:The accused suffers from chronic blood pressure and ulcer
By Boitumelo Tshehle
A 58 year –old former Municipal Manager at the Mahikeng local municipality who suffers from chronic high blood pressure, intends to plead not guilty over the R92 million the council invested with the bankrupt VBS Mutual bank allegedly under his watch.
Thabo Mokwena appeared in the Mahikeng Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on charges of Contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act and Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act. He was arrested by the Hawks on 10 August this year at his home in Klerksdorp. His legal representative Stiaan Bruwer pleaded with the court to release Mokwena on a lesser bail amount and also submitted that the accused was suffering from chronic high blood pressure and ulcer.
Bruwer read the accused’s statement in court and said Mokwena was a farmer who only received financial income every three months. Bruwer also informed the court that Mokwena did not have previous convictions and pending cases against him. He was once convicted in 1990 on a charge relating to liquor sales. He asked the court not to consider this conviction as it had now lapsed.
Mahikeng local municipality is one of the 20 municipalities that had invested municipal funds into the VBS Mutual Bank. Hawks spokesman Katlego Mogale said of the R92 million that was invested, only R7 million was paid back to the Mahikeng local municipality and R85 million was never accounted for. Mogale said Mokwena allegedly received gratification in the form of credit facilities for purchases of two luxurious high powered vehicles and property in Klerksdorp amounting to over R1.7 million between 2017 and 2018.
In his application for Mokwena’s bail, Bruwer said : “There is no one else to take charge of operations on the farm. The accused has promised to abide by the bail conditions.” Mokwena was granted R50 000 bail.
Magistrate Cindy Jacobs postponed the case to 16 November, 2021 for further police investigations.
