A Gonubie townhouse bought with money allegedly stolen from the OR Tambo district municipality has been auctioned off for R1.2-million.
The Asset Forfeiture Unit seized the property from Thumeka Qongqo, sister of former municipal employee Nyameka Qongqo.
Nyameka was applying asking last year for authorisation to pay R2.5-million into her sister’s account, ostensibly as a payment to a service provider.
No case to date has been made against her. During the investigation the Hawks discovered that Qongqo had in fact deposited another sum of R2.1-million into an account of a close corporation, Ogiyonke Construction, owned by Thumeka.
Those funds were allegedly used to pay cash for the Gonubie house and other household items.
This was discovered and reported to the priority crimes directorate by municipal manager Tshaka Hlazo.
Other funds were allegedly used to buy a top-of-the-range Golf 7.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday Samantha Vockerodt, representative of the curator of the property, confirmed the auction.
She said the property auction advert had appeared in the media every Saturday for the past three weeks.
The Qongqos bought the property for R1.8-million last year.
Qongqo still occupies the property and the new owner will have to evict her. She has lived in the property since the case was exposed by the Hawks in January.
She has gone to court demanding she not be evicted from the house which she shares with her children.
Qongqo’s lawyer Akhona Pele of Akhona Pele Attorneys said his client still occupied the house.
“There is a court order saying she can live there for as long as she wants. There is a spoliation order application that is still pending in court – it will be heard on June 19,” said Pele.
According to the paralegal advice website, a spoliation order is an “order from the court that an item of property be returned to its owner immediately. It is a useful remedy because it can provide someone in an urgent situation with immediate relief.”
Pele said he would not delve into the personal plans of Qongqo but said if there was an eviction order against her client, he would receive further instructions then.
No response to questions to OR Tambo municipal spokesman Ayongezwa Lungisa had been received at the time of writing. — abongilem@dispatch.co.za
Seized house auctioned for R1.2m
The Asset Forfeiture Unit seized the property from Thumeka Qongqo, sister of former municipal employee Nyameka Qongqo.
Nyameka was applying asking last year for authorisation to pay R2.5-million into her sister’s account, ostensibly as a payment to a service provider.
No case to date has been made against her. During the investigation the Hawks discovered that Qongqo had in fact deposited another sum of R2.1-million into an account of a close corporation, Ogiyonke Construction, owned by Thumeka.
Those funds were allegedly used to pay cash for the Gonubie house and other household items.
This was discovered and reported to the priority crimes directorate by municipal manager Tshaka Hlazo.
Other funds were allegedly used to buy a top-of-the-range Golf 7.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday Samantha Vockerodt, representative of the curator of the property, confirmed the auction.
She said the property auction advert had appeared in the media every Saturday for the past three weeks.
The Qongqos bought the property for R1.8-million last year.
Qongqo still occupies the property and the new owner will have to evict her. She has lived in the property since the case was exposed by the Hawks in January.
She has gone to court demanding she not be evicted from the house which she shares with her children.
Qongqo’s lawyer Akhona Pele of Akhona Pele Attorneys said his client still occupied the house.
“There is a court order saying she can live there for as long as she wants. There is a spoliation order application that is still pending in court – it will be heard on June 19,” said Pele.
According to the paralegal advice website, a spoliation order is an “order from the court that an item of property be returned to its owner immediately. It is a useful remedy because it can provide someone in an urgent situation with immediate relief.”
Pele said he would not delve into the personal plans of Qongqo but said if there was an eviction order against her client, he would receive further instructions then.
No response to questions to OR Tambo municipal spokesman Ayongezwa Lungisa had been received at the time of writing. — abongilem@dispatch.co.za
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