Cape Town - The Eastern Cape High Court has granted the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) a provisional restraint order of assets worth more than R14 million pertaining to a cleaning company director and five others charged with corruption in the University of Fort Hare (UFH).
UFH has since welcomed the order, saying it was a breakthrough in the fight to uproot “deep-seated” corruption and criminal networks that had bled the university dry for decades.
The AFU obtained the provisional restraint order against the property of Walter Qusheka, director of Garden to Floors PTY LTD which traded as Qush Cleaning Services, with the university.
Quesheka’s wife and four others, including a UFH former official are also implicated in the alleged corruption.
According to Eastern Cape NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali, the current value of the restrained assets was R14,3m but this should increase as the court-appointed curator investigates the assets of the defendants.
“Qush had a contract with the university that expired at the end of its determined period in 2015.
However, a university official, Thobile George, the former Contracts Manager at UFH, unilaterally extended the contract on a month-to-month basis, resulting in a loss for UFH of R19,2 million. George did not have the lawful power to contract on behalf of UFH.
“The amount was made up of multiple invoices that were submitted to the university and were paid to Qush for services, including additional cleaners, and once-off cleaning after events or accidental incidents such as flooding.
It turned out that there were no additional cleaners employed.”
Evidence in possession of the university and provided to law enforcement agencies revealed that George received kick-back payments from Qush amounting to R4m.
The funds were allegedly paid by Qush into an account where George sat as a director of a company after he illegally extended the contract.
The original contract with Qush was signed in 2011.
Tyali said George, Walter and Vuyokazi Qusheka, Yolisa Songca, Lungelwa Finwana, and Yandiswa Sonamzi face criminal charges of fraud and corruption, and the matter was postponed until August 4 for the setting of a trial date in the East London Regional Court.
“The granting of the restraint order demonstrates the in-roads that the combined efforts of the South African Police Service and NPA are making into cracking the corruption and criminal activities at UFH, which have been the subject of extensive media attention, following assassinations and the attempted murder of the university’s Vice-Chancellor.
“These efforts are starting to bear fruit and will not cease until UFH is allowed to focus on its core mandate of educating students instead of constantly dealing with criminal elements in its midst,” said Tyali.
Cape Times