Africa-Press – South-Africa. There was no culture of making formal financial disclosures at the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA).
This was the evidence of Lizeka Tonjeni in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria, where she is on trial for corruption.
Tonjeni is accused of accepting R160 000 bribe from controversial communications company, Digital Vibes.
She pleaded not guilty, alleging that the money she received was from selling healthcare products.
While giving her evidence-in-chief on Thursday, Tonjeni explained why she never formally disclosed that she was making money outside the workplace by selling healthcare products.
Tonjeni’s version was that there was an informal disclosure to the CEO because she had sold products to his wife.
She testified that the government department did not stress about making such disclosures – because, at MISA, they were selling things to each other.
Tonjeni said this was the norm at the department – and she also referenced how the CEO had bought a suit for the CFO, without knowing whether that side business was declared.
She said the “side hustles” were no secret. It was understood that disclosures were only needed when you worked at a state department, and were conducting business with the government, that a conflict of interest might arise.
The State previously led evidence that Tonjeni had made no formal disclosure of remunerative work she conducted outside the workplace.
Crime
Tonjeni has been charged with one count of corruption relating to a R3.9 million contract, which MISA awarded to Digital Vibes in 2018.
She was a project manager in the CEO’s office at the time.
During this time, she allegedly received money from Digital Vibes, which the State claimed was a bribe to further the company’s interests.
News24 previously reported that MISA falls under the cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) department.
At the time, Zweli Mkhize was the Cogta minister.
One of the indirect owners of Digital Vibes, Tahera Mather, was at one stage Mkhize’s spokesperson.
According to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), Mather and Naadhira Mitha were the actual owners of Digital Vibes, even though the company was registered in the name of a petrol station manager in Stanger, KwaZulu-Natal.
Digital Vibes has also been the subject of an investigation into a R150 million health department tender. The SIU found that the contract was irregular and unlawful, and that Mkhize and his family benefitted from the tender.
No allegations have been levelled against Mather, Mitha or Mkhize in the Tonjeni case.
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