By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Former Gauteng health MEC and ANC chief whip Brian Hlongwa was granted R20,000 bail after appearing in court in connection with a multimillion-rand tender fraud case.
Hlongwa together with his wife, Joeline Davids-Hlongwa and his co-accused on Tuesday made their first appearance at the Johannesburg Regional Court.
They face more than 250 counts of racketeering, fraud, corruption, benefitting from the proceeds of crime and money laundering.
This is in connection with graft allegations dating back more than a decade, to when Hlongwa was still at the helm of the province’s health department.
In granting the accused bail that ranged from R20,000 to R50,000, magistrate Simon Radasi said they had met all the requirements of bail and that in terms of the law they were eligible for release upon payment.
“To refuse them bail will not serve any purpose,” he said.
In granting bail, Radasi said he was satisfied that the accused were not a flight risk. He told them they would have to hand over their passports and not leave South Africa without consulting investigating officers.
A Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report made public in 2018 fingered Hlongwa in allegations that a company called 3P Consulting – owned by businessman Richard Payne, a known associate of Hlongwa’s – and various linked entities awarded R1.2 billion worth of government contracts in exchange for providing civil servants with kickbacks.
Payne is reported to be abroad, and the Hawks were in the process of seeking to extradite him.
Hlongwa resigned from his position as the ANC’s chief whip in the province the same year the report was publicly released, but despite pressure from civil society, he had not faced any criminal consequences up until now.
He was formally arrested earlier on Tuesday morning, after handing himself over to police at the Johannesburg Central Police Station.
The nine accused are: Obakeng Stephen Mookeletsi, Sybil Nomhle Ngcobo, Valdis Ntsieni Ramaano, Abul Kalam Mohammed Mahmudur Rahman, Brian Thamsanqa Hlongwa, Reatile Kingdom Lolwane, Richard John Payne, Maghanderen Niven Pillay and Joeline Crystal Davids-Hlongwa.
The case is due back in court in April.