FET college workers jailed for tender fraud of R273,000

The Durban specialised commercial crimes court sentenced two people on Tuesday to three years imprisonment for the tender fraud they committed at the Mnambithi FET college in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal.

The Hawks arrested Mphilisi Claude Mkhize, 45, and Tholakele Gracia Nzimande, 51, in May 2015.

This was after the Mnambithi FET college appointed a company in April 2013 to investigate if the pair had committed tender fraud. They were a procurement officer and a lecturer at the college.

"Investigations revealed that in 2011, the pair conspired and manipulated the tender processes of the college. A tender for the supply and removal of waste containers at the campus was unduly awarded to Mkhize despite the fact that no services were rendered. The college suffered losses of up to R273,756 as a result of wasteful and fruitless expenditure," Hawks spokesperson Capt Simphiwe Mhlongo said on Tuesday.