Senior Pikitup official arrested for allegedly stealing laptop

A senior Pikitup official has been arrested after allegedly being caught on CCTV footage stealing a laptop owned by the City of Johannesburg.

News of the arrest comes on the heels of an announcement by Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba earlier on Wednesday that the city had paid R6-million for 500 desktop computers that were ordered by the group information communication technology department in 2014 but never delivered.

Mashaba said the official was arrested by police and would appear in the Hillbrow Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

“Last week Friday‚ Pikitup‚ the City’s waste management company‚ held its executive committee meeting which was concluded approximately 1pm. Later that afternoon‚ an official from the MD’s office noticed that the laptop from the boardroom was missing and alerted the MD; security personnel were subsequently notified.

“The Pikitup security personnel then reviewed the CCTV footage which showed the official sneaking into the boardroom around 2pm and removing the laptop and its charger which was on the boardroom table‚” Mashaba said in a statement.

He said the laptop was kept in the MD’s boardroom and used during EXCO meetings to project presentations. The laptop contained corporate data and all the information discussed in the boardroom. “The cameras‚ which were installed around the MD’s office‚ had not been in operation for some time. When they were repaired‚ no one was informed.

“When the laptop was reported stolen and no one came forward with information‚ the matter was then reported to the City’s Group Forensic and Investigation Service (GFIS). “This senior official was then called in for questioning by GFIS and he confirmed that he took the laptop.

The laptop was found in his office. “When quizzed on why he took the laptop he stated that he wanted his personal information from the laptop since he had used it previously. The allegation was disputed by Information Technology officials because the laptop is new and had not been in use prior to its installation in Pikitup’s boardroom. He then admitted that he stole the laptop‚” Mashaba said.

He added that he had learned that the official’s contract would come to an end in April this year. “I must admit that I am extremely disappointed about these actions‚ especially in light of our continuous efforts to educate our staff about the negative impact of fraud and corruption.”