Hawks effects arrests at Northern Cape Department of Sports, Arts and Culture

Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in the Northern Cape’s Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team arrested three (3) suspects accused of contravening the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), fraud, and money laundering. The team rounded off the two (2) senior employees, a 50-year-old and 55-year-old at their workplace in the morning of Wednesday, 6 March 2024. The third suspect, a 61-year-old, also a former senior employee of the Northern Cape Department of Sports, Arts and Culture handed herself in this morning and was processed for court appearance.

The arrests are related to allegations of contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), fraud, and money laundering. This is after the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture made an irregular payment to a certain service provider without any services being to the department.

The payment was allegedly meant for the Umsombovu Youth Festival that was scheduled to take place in Colesberg in December 2016, the festival never took place. The department suffered a loss of R1 million rand. The other accused on the matter, a company (juristic person) and its director were previously charged, the charges are to be reinstated.

All the accused are expected to make a brief court appearance before Kimberley Magistrate court on Wednesday, 6 March 2024.