South Africa: MK Chief Whip, Impeachment Committee Member Charged With Defrauding Party Staff
Police allege four parliamentary researchers were forced to surrender up to 60% of their salaries, totaling R233,317.99, in a scheme tied to Jacob Zuma's legal fees.
- On Thursday, Chief Whip Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi was granted R30,000 bail by the Cape Town Magistrate's Court after handing herself over to authorities on fraud and extortion charges.
- Western Cape Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani alleged Mokoena-Zondi forced four researchers to surrender 50% to 60% of their monthly salaries between August and December 2024 under the guise of covering party president Jacob Zuma's legal fees.
- Investigators claim the scheme defrauded employees of nearly R233,000, though Mokoena-Zondi stated in an affidavit that payments were a "voluntary contribution" intended as a "gesture of appreciation" for the upkeep of the party's Nkandla headquarters.
- Following her release on bail, the court postponed the case until June 18, while MK party spokesperson Sifiso Mahlangu reaffirmed the organization's commitment to the presumption of innocence as it assesses the circumstances.
- Mokoena-Zondi, who replaced Colleen Makhubele in February, serves on Parliament's Impeachment Committee regarding President Cyril Ramaphosa; her arrest occurs amid ongoing turbulence within the party, which has repeatedly reshuffled senior leadership positions.
15 Articles
15 Articles
South Africa: MK Chief Whip, Impeachment Committee Member Charged With Defrauding Party Staff
Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi, Chief Whip of the MK party, and one of its three representatives on Parliament's Impeachment Committee, faces a fraud charge linked to allegations that parliamentary researchers were forced to surrender large portions of their salaries.
UPDATE | MK Party chief whip granted R30k bail in fraud case related to Zuma’s ‘legal costs’
MK Party chief whip Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi has been granted R30 000 bail in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, where it emerged on Thursday that she has a previous fraud conviction.
MK chief whip, Impeachment Committee member charged with defrauding party staff
Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi, Chief Whip of the MK party, and one of its three representatives on Parliament’s Impeachment Committee, faces a fraud charge linked to allegations that parliamentary researchers were forced to surrender large portions of their salaries.
MK Party chief whip arrested over alleged salary scam
uMkhonto weSizwe Party chief whip Mmabatho Mokoena-Zondi has been arrested after allegedly forcing party employees to hand over chunks of their salaries under the guise of paying the party president’s legal fees.
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