Former Cogta employees sentenced to 15 years in jail
7 December 2019
Two former employees of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) have been sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment.
The two were found guilty of fraud after moving R7.5m from the department into the bank account of an accomplice.
Patricia Nokwazi Chule, 32, and Hlengiwe Hlela, 34, were arrested by the Hawks' Pietermaritzburg Serious Commercial Crime Investigating Unit in 2015, along with their accomplice, Max Dhladhla, Hawks spokesperson Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo said in a statement.
According to a report by The Witness at the time, one of the accused managed to bypass a complex biometrics procedure for settling government invoices. It is understood the account number was changed prior to the payment being made, and the money was diverted into the account of Imvusa Trading. An "unsuspecting" colleague then reportedly authorised the payment.