‘Organised corruption’: Government officials, pastors nabbed by Hawks in R114m education tender fraud raids

The police’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) swooped on several properties across the country on Sunday in connection with alleged dodgy education tenders amounting to R114 million. Raids were conducted by more than 14 teams across Mpumalanga, the Western Cape, Limpopo, and Gauteng. Among those targeted were government officials, businesspeople, and even self-professed men of God.

It follows an investigation, reportedly started in 2018, into tenders awarded by the Department of Education for the maintenance and repair of school buildings. In some cases, the repairs were not needed. Mpumalanga Hawks head Major General Nico Gerber called it “a typical example of organised corruption”, in which service providers were handpicked and colluded.

“We are looking today to arrest 41 suspects. That includes government officials, private individuals, pastors, and entities which were involved in the fraudulent scheme. “Organised crime is everywhere, and in the government, unfortunately, this is part of it.

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People high up in the government and the department are involved,” he told broadcasterNewzroom Afrika. Gerber said some arrests had been made, with others to follow. “The ones that we don’t find today, it’s not a problem.

We will get them, contact them, and they will probably come and hand themselves over. If not, we will look for them, and we will find them.” “The probe will also examine whether the payments for these contracts adhered to national treasury guidelines and ascertain whether the payments were irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditures or financial losses for the department or the state. “Furthermore, the SIU will seek to establish if there was unlawful or improper conduct by the department employees, officials, agents, and any other person or entity to corruptly or unduly benefit themselves or others.”

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