Cape Town – A Cape Town DA councillor appeared in the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court today on fraud and money laundering charges involving the Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) .
Nora Grose, from Table View, appeared at the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court this morning after handing herself over to the police due to the Hawks having issued a warrant of arrest. She was freed on R10 000 bail.
She allegedly used Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) funds for personal gain in collusion with Reuben Swartz, the chairperson of the SA Religious Civic Organisation. The Hawks said the R170 000 allegedly involved was meant for food parcels in Atlantis.
According to Good party secretary-general Brett Herron, the funds in question were allegedly distributed to a Table View church, ’’where Mayor Dan Plato had launched his campaign to become the DA regional metro chair’’.
Herron told IOL on Thursday: ’’I am frustrated with the DA leadership because I pointed out that corruption and maladministration of food relief was taking place already in April last year. I don’t know how much has been stolen, diverted or abused for political purposes over the last year.
3 weeks ago I wrote to @CityofCT Mayor #DanPlato asking him to confirm Hawks were investigating unlawful diversion of Covid19 food relief funds involving @Our_DA councillors. It was vehemently denied. Today a councillor handed herself in & will apply for bail. #ThisCityLiesToYou https://t.co/52anQcneUj pic.twitter.com/7zmtlJyIu5
— Brett Herron 🇿🇦 (@brettherron) May 20, 2021
’’But today, a year later, the City of Cape Town and the DA leadership in this province has been caught out for not acting in terms of the law.’’
Concerning the particular case involving the councillor, Herron said: ’’I did question the mayor three weeks ago whether there was an investigation taking place involving the Hawks related to Covid-19 food relief funds; what the facts were; how much money was involved; and whether this was the only transaction being investigated where funding has been diverted like this.
’’Instead of responding, they denied there was such an investigation. Of course, today, we see there is an investigation and one of the councillors has already handed herself over because a warrant of arrest was issued for her.
’’She appeared at the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court this morning. She received R10 000 bail and has to appear in the Bellville Commercial Crimes Court tomorrow.
‘’She allegedly wanted the funds to get to this church in Table View, which is not a compliant organisation to ask for funds. So they allegedly orchestrated to transfer the funds, R170 000, to an organisation called Sarco (South African Religious Civic Organisation). Sarco was under investigation by the Hawks for TERS fraud, which was instituted under the UIF scheme.
’’So while the Hawks are investigating Sarco, in comes R186 000 from the City of Cape Town and out it goes the next day to this church. The Hawks were alerted to this diversion of food relief funds to this church.’’
Earlier this month, the provincial government said it wanted “all relevant” information on allegations of serious malpractice regarding the City’s humanitarian fund before it launched an investigation, the Weekend Argus reported.
This after the Hawks had arrested Swartz in December last year for allegedly claiming money from the Temporary Employee Relief Scheme and using it for personal benefit.
The investigation was expanded to allegations that Swartz had received as much as R170 000 from the City’s humanitarian fund, which it said was for food parcels in Atlantis, but was allegedly channelled to a Table View church. Swartz will appear the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on May 21.
A District Six resident had alerted Herron in April last year that food relief was being politicised by the DA.
’’In April last year, shortly after lockdown, when we realised that hunger and access to food was going to be a crisis in South Africa, I received a message from a District Six resident when food parcels were first being distributed by the DA,’’ Herron said.
’’She said the DA were in her area and she and her neighbours were told they can’t get food relief because they are not DA members.
’’So I raised it with the premier (Alan Winde) and MEC (Anton) Bredell that their was politicisation and corruption happening with access to state-funded relief and it was ignored.
’’We had food fund relief funds that were meant to be distributed to humanitarian NGOs and feeding schemes. Councillors were asked to identify the beneficiary organisations, which is a breach of the supply chain management process.’’
Herron had said earlier in May Bredell was duty-bound to investigate allegations of maladministration, fraud, corruption or serious malpractice in a municipality when there was reason to believe it was occurring.
IOL
Credit IOL