Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Hawks have made a seventh arrest in connection with the looting of funds meant for the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Brandfort House Museum in the Free State.
Jan Harm du Plessis, 41, was arrested after landing at OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng on Friday after arriving from Zambia.
His co-accused are Tsoarelo Malakoane, 56, Monyane Sefantsi, 53, Eunice Aaron, 55, Lodewikus Celliers, 80, Lebogang Sebeela, 47, Georgia Thubane, 47, as well as two companies – Architect in Amalgamation and Architects Celliers Greyvenstein.
The charges include fraud, corruption, money laundering, contravention of the Public Finance Management Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act.
The accused allegedly siphoned off more than R700 000 from the Free State sports, arts and culture department.
Du Plessis appeared in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court on Monday on fraud and theft charges.
Hawks spokesperson Captain Christopher Singo said Du Plessis’ arrest came after the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team in Welkom issued a warrant of arrest.
Singo said the department allocated money to the Brandfort Museum project, popularly known as the Winnie Mandela museum, between January 2008 and December 2010.
The apartheid government banished Madikizela-Mandela to Brandfort, about 60km from Bloemfontein, between 1977 and 1985.
He said:
“The project was coordinated by the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture and the Lejweleputswa District Municipality. As a result of these fraudulent activities, the department suffered a total loss of more than R700 000,” he added.
The Hawks arrested six of the accused on 20 September.
The case against Du Plessis was postponed to Thursday for a bail application.
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