SACP in Free State welcomes NPA’s recent successful prosecutions, calls for assets forfeiture to recover public funds

9 December 2021

The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Free State Province welcomes the sentencing of individuals found guilty of corruption, fraud and/or money laundering in the Free State provincial and local governments, following plausible successful prosecutions by the National Prosecution Authority (NPA). The NPA succeeded in its case against a former Head of Human Settlement Department (HOD) who pleaded guilty to corruption charges put to him. The NPA also obtained successful prosecution of a former Mayor and CFO at Nketoana Local Municipality and their accomplice who were all sentenced yesterday, 8 December 2021, on charges of corruption, fraud and money laundering.

The SACP in Free State is satisfied with the sentencing of former Mayor, CFO and businessman to an effective prison sentence of up to 8 years for defrauding the Nketoana municipality of resources paid for services not rendered. Whereas the SACP appreciates the cooperation the NPA secured from the former HOD at Human Settlement on matters related to corruption which appears endemic in this department, we are of the view that the suspension of the whole 10-year sentence was overly generous. In both cases, the SACP in Free State calls on the NPA, especially the Asserts Forfeiture Unit, to pursue confiscation and attaching of asserts of those found guilty and recover all monies the state was defrauded of. This is a necessary deterrent against those who steal public resources. A jail sentence alone is only punitive to the guilty party but still leaves the community prejudiced if resources that were meant for their development are not recouped.

The SACP in Free State has consistently decried the existence of historical parasitic patronage networks that operate in cahoots with those in municipal administration and usually aided by political principals at various levels within and outside of government. It is encouraging that our calls for the NPA to intensify investigations and pursue prosecutions is yielding positive results. The SACP encourages anyone with information of instances of corruption by anyone, irrespective of their positions and standing in society, to report and cooperate with law enforcement agencies. These corrupt patronage networks that have hollowed out state entities must be dismantled through successful prosecution and those responsible and complicit must face the full might of the law.

The SACP believes these successful prosecutions are timely and we hope they send a strong message to all new mayors and municipal leadership that have just been elected. As they assume their new responsibilities, the SACP urges them to not only be free of corrupt practices but to also be anti-corruption ambassadors and ensure that municipal resources are used solely for their intended service to communities. As they assume office and receive reports, they should act swiftly and consistently without fear, favour or prejudice, in exposing any instance of past, present and future corruption in their municipalities.

Issued by Bheke Stofile, Free State Provincial Secretary, SACP, 9 December 2021