Africa-Press – South-Africa. Two senior officials of a Gauteng company have appeared in court for theft and money laundering after R14 million the government paid for space it rented for the Pan-African Parliament at Gallagher Estate went missing.
The Department of Public Works paid the money to rent collection company Zakhumzi Construction (Pty) Ltd, but it never ended up in the coffers of the Silver Vanity Investment (Pty) Ltd shareholders.
City Press previously reported that Silver Vanity was the investment company of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc). Among its assets is Gallagher Estate, a conference venue in Midrand.
Zakhumzi entered into a service-level agreement with Silver Vanity to manage and maintain Silver Vanity’s properties in 2015.
According to Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale, the Department of Public Works paid the R14 million to Zakhumzi as a back payment in August 2018.
However, the funds were “misappropriated and laundered”, she added.
She said the two officials – Sekwame Gilbert Mosena, the 63-year-old CEO of Silver Vanity and acting Nafcoc president, and Tselane Mary Baggot, the 51-year-old director and company secretary of Silver Vanity, handed themselves over to police at the Sandton police station on Wednesday.
They later appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
“Mosena and Baggott were both granted R10 000 bail each and are expected back in the same court on 24 August 2023.
“The investigation continues, and more arrests are expected,” Mogale said.
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