NPA abandons Mbombela Stadium corruption case

The R1.2bn Mbombela Stadium case, which has been on hold for three years, appears to have been abandoned, notes Legalbrief. According to a City Press report, the National Prosecuting Authority confirmed fraud and corruption charges against Kaizer Chiefs Football Club manager, Bobby Motaung, and five others will no longer be pursued. Motaung was arrested in August 2012 alongside his business partner in Lefika Emerging Equity, Herbert Theledi, and the company’s former chief executive officer Chris Grip. They were charged with fraud amounting to R143m for allegedly using a false tax certificate when Lefika submitted a bid for a tender to design the stadium. They also allegedly forged a Mbombela council letter with a fake signature of former Mbombela municipal manager, Sgananda Siboza, to obtain a R1m overdraft from a bank, says the report. The Hawks also arrested former Mbombela manager Jacob Dladla, Ehlanzeni District technical director Tebogo Kubeka and Grip’s lawyer, Michael Ramos, on charges of theft, fraud and the alleged contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act relating to the stadium tenders valued at R920m. NPA spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Monica Nyuswa, said the matter was closed after police could not obtain evidence requested by lead prosecutor, Advocate Willem van Zyl. ‘The decision was a nolle prosequi. The NPA cannot revive a case with insufficient evidence,’ Nyuswa said.