Pretoria - A trial date for the controversial R15.3 million government tender case for the construction of the Talana housing project in Limpopo will be set in June.
This was decided by the Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday when the six accused in the matter appeared.
They are company boss Constance Mohlala as well as Raymond Makoto Nkwane, Thobamotse Jeremiah Makofane, Simphiwe Nolwethemba Maphisa, Tsokollo Pacanin Monareng and Lerato Pearl Dikhutso.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said the trial date would be set on June 24.
She said the accused were facing three counts of fraud, corruption and forgery.
“The accused were arrested in December 2020 and are out on bail. Mohlala was granted bail of R20 000 and all other accused are out on bail of R10 000 each.
“It is alleged that the suspects fraudulently obtained a tender for the Talana shacks, by using misrepresentations and forged credentials of land surveyors and architects, while they were not permitted by the professionals to use their documents,” she said.
Malabi-Dzhangi added the suspects claimed the amount of more than R2m out of R15m that was supposed to be used for building the 192 shacks and 53 toilets.
Last year the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) recommended that the Aventino Group CC, led by Mohlala, which was meant to build the temporary houses, be blacklisted because the tender was obtained illegally.
The company was meant to build 192 temporary houses at the hostel in Tzaneen and Extension 10 in Burgersfort, Sekhukhune.
The units were meant to help hostel dwellers who were exposed to threats posed by the Covid-19 pandemic during lockdown alert level 5.
It was also found that the units built did not adhere to the original design specifications.
The SIU made two referrals to the NPA to make a decision on whether to prosecute regarding the matter.
The Talana house project was done under the terms of proclamation R23 of 2020 when the SIU was directed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate allegations of corruption, malpractice, maladministration and irregularities in the procurement of goods during the Covid-19 state of disaster.
The project caused a national uproar after it emerged that the dodgy tin shacks cost taxpayers R64 000 per unit, which was higher than the competitive market rate.
Adding to the woes, the units did not adhere to the original design specifications.
Early this year Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi announced that investigations by the Hawks and Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane found no department officials were involved in the awarding of the controversial procurement of the houses.
Pretoria News