Suspects to appear in court over R255 million asbestos deal

Seven suspects implicated the controversial R255 million asbestos contract are expected to appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s court on Friday, 2 October 2020.

It has been a busy week for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the Hawks, having made arrests emanating from testimony at the State Capture Commission. The first six suspects, including government officials and business people, were nabbed on Wednesday, 30 October – three in Gauteng and another three in the Free State.

The final suspect handed himself over to the authorities in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday. It is alleged that the man had fled when the Hawks attempted to nab him the day before.

While details are still unclear, the man was reportedly a senior official in the Free State housing department.

“The accused face over 60 charges which include corruption, fraud, money laundering in contravention of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (POCA) as well as contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA),” Hawks spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi said.

Millions in ‘assistance’ to friends

The state capture inquiry, chaired by deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, heard testimony from Edwin Sodi, whose company Blackhead Consulting was one of two which were awarded the contract. The deal was for the assessing and removal of asbestos roofing in thousands of houses in 2014 in the province, when Ace Magashule was still premier.

The other company was Diamond Hill Trading, whose owner Ignatius “Igo” Mpambani was killed in a suspected hit. Mpambani was gunned down in Sandton in 2018.

Sodi was grilled about a series of suspicious payments he made to a number of senior African National Congress (ANC) officials including Zizi Kodwa, Dr Zweli Mkhize and Paul Mashatile.

He’s defended the payments, saying he was merely providing assistance to his friends.

“Zizi is a friend I have made payments to him while he still worked at the ANC. It was payments I made as a friend where he requested assistance. He would say there are delays in payments and he would ask for assistance,” Sodi explained.

Sodi admitted to paying R6.5-million to Colin Pitso, a former chief of staff to former minister of Environmental affairs Nomvula Mokonyane – who has also featured prominently at the state capture inquiry.

The same amount was paid to Mkhize.

“It was paid to the ANC at the time he was the treasurer-general and he would have been the one that approached me at the time to ask for assistance, that’s why his name is used as a reference,” he said.