PHIWAYINKOSI, LAWYER ARRESTED FOR FRAUD

Phiwayinkosi Ginindza.

MBABANE – The ACC has arrested Lidwala Insurance Company Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Phiwayinkhosi Ginindza together with a lawyer based in the Lubombo region, among others.

ACC is the Anti Corruption Commission.
Ginindza was arrested together with Siteki-based lawyer Mzobanzi ‘Mzo’ Dlamini and three others and they have been charged with fraud.
Dlamini is the Mayor of Siteki.

They are alleged to have misappropriated money that was contributed by the municipalities of the four regions of the country to buy cattle that were to be presented to Their Majesties. All the accused are councillors in the various municipalities in the country and they were all board members of the Presidential Committee for the Swaziland Local Government Association (SWALGA).

The others who were arrested are Dumisani Sibandze (Councillor at Nhlangano Town Board), Sithembile Mazibuko (Councillor at Mankayane Town Board), and Ayanda Sigudla (Councillor at Manzini City Council).

It is alleged that each of the municipalities contributed money to buy the cattle but it was later discovered that the accused had allegedly used it for their personal gain.
These are allegations contained in a charge sheet whose veracity is still to be tested and the accused are still to present their side of the story when the case resumes in court.

It alleged that they would sometimes make fraudulent claims for transport allowances.
The accused are further alleged to have misappropriated and further distributed some of the money among themselves.

The exact amount that the accused are alleged to have misappropriated could not been ascertained by the time of compiling this report.
They were rounded up by officers from the ACC and members of the Royal Swaziland Police yesterday morning and subsequently charged for contravening Section 24 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Section 24(1) of the Act provides that: “A person commits the offence of cheating the public revenue where as a fraudulent conduct of that person, money is diverted from the revenue and thereby depriving the public revenue of money to which government is entitled.”

Sub Section 2 provides that: “A public officer or any person commits an offence of cheating the public revenue where that official or person diverts any property belonging to government or its agencies, which that official or person had received by virtue of his position of that official person, to an independent agency or individual for a purpose unrelated to the purpose for which that property was intended, for the benefit of that official or that person or a third party.”

 Ginindza, who is a former Chief Executive Officer of the Swaziland Investment Promotion Authority (SIPA), together with his co- accused are currently booked at Sigodvweni Police Station in Matsapha pending their court appearance.
They are expected to make their first appearance at the Manzini Magistrates Court this morning.

The accused are represented by Noncedo Ndlangamandla from Mabila Attorneys, who was yesterday spotted at Sigodvweni Police Station, where she had gone to consult with the accused. ACC Public Relations Officer Jabu Phakathi confirmed the arrests.

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