The Asset Forfeiture Unit was dealt a heavy blow on Tuesday after the Gqeberha high court discharged a provisional restraint order against properties owned by various entities linked to a host of businesspeople embroiled in a multimillion-rand fraud and racketeering case.
Not only brothers in name, they were also brothers in arms in business in an alleged “well-oiled” machine set up to pilfer millions of rand meant to be used for the Bay’s beleaguered Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS).
Former Nelson Mandela Bay ANC boss Zandisile Qupe has six months to cough up R1.28m owed to the National Treasury, or his luxury Theescombe home will go under the hammer.
Details of how fraud and corruption accused Zandisile Qupe was paid nearly R3m to act as a “political influencer” while he was a leader of the ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay emerged in court on Thursday as the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) applied to have his luxury family home forfeited to the state.
It was between 2013 and 2015 when this newspaper began reporting on the looted millions meant for Nelson Mandela Bay’s Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS).