Hawks probe Liquor Board boss

Fraud and corruption charges against the owner, former Nkonkobe municipal manager and current CEO of the Eastern Cape Liquor Board Khanyile Maneli, were laid a fortnight ago by Nkonkobe’s acting municipal manager Lusanda Menze amid allegations that his eight-roomed house in Dyamala village had been built using municipal resources.

The house was built while Maneli was still a municipal manager overseeing a project to build community halls across Nkonkobe.

A complaint on the desk of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) MEC Fikile Xasa accuses Maneli of taking advantage of the project by using some of the building materials meant for a community hall in the village on his house.

Maneli has flatly denied the allegation. In a three-page statement to the Daily Dispatch he said he had paid for his house from his own pocket. The allegation was just a ploy to discredit him and tarnish his name ahead of the ANC Amathole regional conference where he is set to contest power, Maneli said.

He admitted using municipal employees to build his house, claiming to have paid them to work for him on weekends. “My house was built using my own funds and resources and at no stage whatsoever did I use Nkonkobe municipality resources to build it.

“I want to remind you that there is an elective conference for the Amathole region of the ANC and myself and councillor Ntsangani, the current mayor of Nkonkobe, are vying for the position of the chair of the region.

“This, in my view, is the only reason why these unfounded allegations against me are being peddled,” Maneli said.

Although construction of both the community hall and Maneli’s house began in 2013, Maneli’s house has been completed while the community hall is still under construction.

The hall is located a stone’s throw from Maneli’s house, which comprises three bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room, lounge, study and bathroom.

National Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said fraud and corruption charges against Maneli had been opened on October 9.

“The investigation is still in its early stages; we are still familiarising ourselves with the contents of the docket,” said Mulaudzi.

Cogta has applied a section of local government regulations to compel Nkonkobe to furnish the department with information regarding the allegations. Cogta said it had received the complaint from an anonymous whistleblower via the Public Service Commission on the anti-corruption hotline in 2014.

In September, Cogta again wrote to Nkonkobe requesting the information. Ntsangani replied last week, saying an internal investigation had led to the fraud and corruption case against Maneli. Ntsangani also requested Xasa to investigate the delay surrounding the case.

Cogta spokesman Mamnkeli Ngam said department officials from the directorate of security management and anti-corruption unit were dealing with the matter.

“Unfortunately, due to other competing official government programmes the investigation has been adversely affected; however, the matter remains on MEC Xasa’s radar screen, hence it is receiving priority from both institutions.”