A former council speaker has been convicted on over 200 counts of fraud in the Eastern Cape.
Maletswayi Local Municipality Speaker Kholekile Lange pleaded guilty in the Aliwal North Regional Court on Tuesday and was handed a five-year sentence, suspended for five years.
Lange also has to pay R65,000 back to the municipality.
Hawks spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi said the investigation found the former speaker’s vehicle was never used for official trips, amongst other things.
“It relates to fraudulent claims by the speaker who was using somebody else’s details to claim money from the municipality. It happened between 2011 and 2016. About two years ago, we were informed about it and an investigation was launched by our serious corruption and investigation team.”