Modenga Implicated In FCC Illegal Land Sale Scandal
Lebogang Mosikare | Monday February 13, 2017 16:05
Before the dust has hardly settled down in Modenga’s brushes with the law, he was dragged before the Chief Magistrate Gaedupe Makgatho on Friday albeit in absentia to face a count of using his position to swindle a person out of her money under the pretext that he would facilitate that she be allocated residential plots.
The state alleges that on different dates in April, 2015, in Francistown, Modenga unlawfully and intentionally obtained P45,000 from Karabo Nkwai by falsely representing to her that as FCC’s deputy mayor, he will use his position to facilitate that Nkwai be allocated two plots owned by the FCC.
The state further alleges that when Modenga did so, he in actual fact knew that he did not have powers to do so. Modenga is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years if he is found guilty of the offence.
Although the case was held in chambers out of the glare of members of the public and the media who came to the court in droves, this publication has it on good authority that Francistown’s second senior citizen was not in court but was represented by his attorney, Kagiso Jane.
This publication was however not able to establish why Modenga was not before court on Friday.
The Monitor also has it on good authority that Modenga was released from the Francistown police station cells last week Monday after he was arrested in Gaborone and brought to Francistown in connection with the matter.
“We released Modenga from our cells on Monday although I am not sure of the time he was released,” the station commander of Francistown police station, Lebalang Maniki, told The Monitor on Friday.
Modenga is due in court on March 6 before Dumisane Basupi, the substantive magistrate in the matter.
Modenga is not alien to controversy. He rarely attends council sessions on account of health reasons - a situation that has provoked a wrath of criticism from politicians across the political spectrum.
The councillors are gunning for his head and want to recall him from his position. They are of the view that his regular absence from council sessions is delaying the developments of the city.
In June last year, The Monitor’s sister publication, Mmegi, reported that crime busters from the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) were investigating Modenga and some FCC employees about allegations of illegal selling of Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) land.
Last year in August, Modenga was dragged before the small claims court for nonpayment of P3,500 as money for four goats that he took from Tebalo Mpona.
Magistrate Jennifer Chikate later issued a default judgement against the debt ridden and controversy plagued Modenga after he failed to appear in court even though he was duly served with papers ordering him to appear in court.
In April last year, Chikate ordered Modenga to pay three months installments of P5,000 to settle a P15,000 loan he acquired from Lumbidzani Bajo.
During that time, documents produced in court showed that the controversial councillor who drives a sleek Range Rover has P200 only as his take home salary after all deductions and other debts have been paid.
Bajo’s attorney David Olatotse then made a garnishee order against Modenga to compel him to settle the debt. Olatotse made an application to recoup P5,000 every month from Modenga.