DCEC nabs another CDC engineer
Ryder Gabathuse | Friday August 17, 2018 13:40
As the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) investigators continue to comb at the site of the ongoing P272 million pula Tutume infrastructural development project for answers in corruption allegations, the chief engineer based in Serowe was nabbed last Friday for questioning. This is the man who supervised the Tutume multi-million pula project. After the recent arrest of Tlhagopi and Thiite, Mmegi sources had intimated that more heads were expected to roll as the DCEC investigations into the matter go into overdrive.
This week, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development spokesperson, Masego Ramakgati confirmed the summoning for questioning of the chief engineer by the DCEC. He did not mention names of the questioned officer. “It is true that the DCEC office equally had a conversation with another CDC official, our chief engineer last week,” Ramakgati explained. He added: “Of course, as a ministry we are not in a position to comment any further until we receive official communication from the DCEC on the matter, or the outcome of the conversation”. However, Mmegi investigations have revealed that the man at the centre of the DCEC investigations is Chidzani Modongo, the chief engineer.
The DCEC spokesperson, Phakamile Kraai has this week confirmed last week’s questioning of a senior engineer based at the CDC by the graft busting agency investigators on the ongoing corruption investigations.
“I can confirm that our team of investigators indeed questioned a senior engineer based in Serowe,” he said without shedding more light on the matter. Just recently, the man at the centre of the DCEC investigations, Modongo reportedly informed an officers’ meeting in Palapye that amongst others, his computer was seized by the DCEC when the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi stood him up to provide an update on the recent media reports on the CDC alleged corruption scandal.
Mmegi investigations have revealed an interesting twist in the Tutume infrastructural development project as another senior engineer (name withheld for now) has resigned from his CDC job to join one of the contractors in the project as a supervisor, immediately after the awarding of the tender was completed.
Whilst there is nothing wrong with a person changing jobs, what could be raising eyebrows for now is the timing at which such an abrupt change was done, which is currently the subject of investigations by the DCEC.
On July 25, 2018 DCEC investigators pounced on Tlhagopi in Serowe where they searched and seized his office computers and a new top-of-the-range Ford Double Cab allegedly valued at about P500,000.
The car is suspected to be a product of corruption transaction, as allegations are that a politician-cum-tenderpreneur, John Thiite had allegedly induced the public servant with the car so that he could assist his company to win a multi-million pula tender when it allegedly did not qualify. As for the official computer, the DCEC investigators seized it to search for clues of the alleged corruption offence.