Ex-MEC granted R250 000 bail

2011-12-21 10:00

Johannesburg - Former North West education MEC, Reverend Johannes Tselapedi and two senior officials were granted bail on Tuesday after appearing in court on charges of fraud and corruption, provincial police said.

Tselapedi was granted bail of R250 000 by the Mahikeng Regional Court. Acting deputy director general of basic education Matanzima Mweli and suspended North West head of department Charles Raseala each received R500 000 bail, Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.

The State had asked for R1m bail for each of the accused, which the magistrate rejected.

Hawks spokesperson Colonel McIntosh Polela said none of the three had paid bail by the end of Tuesday. They face charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering and contravening the Public Finance Management Act.

They allegedly awarded two tenders - for motivational speaking and for helping matriculants in their studies - without following procedures.

"The original tenders were for R3.5m. These services apparently ran for a further three years after the expiry date. R12m was allegedly paid for services rendered after the expiry of the contract," Polela said in a statement.

The investigation into the matter began earlier this year. The case was postponed to the February 20.

- SAPA