Pretoria – Senior Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (MISA) official, 49-year-old Lizeka Tonjeni has been found guilty of corruption related to the Digital Vibes contract.
During the trial, the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court heard evidence that in 2018 MISA awarded a tender of almost R4 million to Digital Vibes to render communication services for 24 months.
Tonjeni was the project manager responsible for the appointment and management of the service provider, Digital Vibes.
Evidence presented in court was that from December 2018 until August 2020 Tonjeni received payments of R160 000 from Digital Vibes.
However, Tonjeni pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied that she fraudulently received payments from Digital Vibes.
Instead, the accused claimed the payments she received from the director of Digital Vibes Tahera Mather, were payments for weight loss and energy booster products she was selling.
Tonjeni told the court she still owes Mather R85 000 because she was unable to deliver some of the products.
To check her claims, prosecutors – Advocate Willem van Zyl and Advocate Phuma Dwane – called witnesses who are MISA employees.
Their evidence proved crucial in convicting Tonjeni of the charges preferred against her.
Handing down judgment in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Friday, Magistrate Setshoge found Tonjeni’s evidence “not to be reasonably true and dishonest”.
She found that the state had proved its case against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.
After the guilty verdict, the accused, who was out on R5 000 bail, requested an extension, which was opposed by the prosecutors.
Advocate Van Zyl argued that Tonjeni was a flight risk, as she applied for a passport 17 days before her possible conviction.
The prosecutor also pointed out that the accused had breached her bail conditions by moving to the Eastern Cape without telling the investigating officer.
Magistrate Setshoge turned down Tonjeni’s request to have her baol extended.
Tonjeni has been remanded in custody pending her sentencing.
She will be sentenced next month on 6 June 2024.
RELATED: MISA Boss Linked To Digital Vibes R4M Tender, Arrested, Granted Bail – The Bulrushes
Digital Vibes, whose owners were associates of former health minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize, has also been the subject of a Special Investigating Unit probe over the dodgy R150 million communications tender it won from the Department of Health.
