LEBOGANG SEALE
CHARGES of fraud over an alleged housing scam against Mogale City councillor John Mokotla have again been withdrawn, leaving the victims hopping mad.
Mokotla, who is ward 2 councillor in Swanieville, near Kagiso, was initially arrested by the Krugersdorp Anti-Corruption Unit in February last year for allegedly enriching himself through the sale of low-cost RDP houses in the township. Detectives had also nabbed former councillor Titus Rakolodi for the same alleged crime. Rakolodi has since died.
Police had swooped on Mokotla and Rakolodi after they had obtained several statements from people who alleged they had bought houses from them for between R5 000 and R15 000.
The Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court withdrew charges against the pair last year because of a lack of evidence.
Charges against Mokotla were, however, reinstated early this year.
For a while yesterday, the stage looked set for the eagerly awaited trial to start. Key witnesses, including the complainants, the detective investigating the case, whistleblowers and two officials from Mogale City’s housing department, were in court, but the case was summarily dismissed.
“The state is withdrawing charges against the accused (Mokotla) based on (lack of) merit,” was the terse message from the State prosecutor.
The decision left some witnesses, mostly Mokotla’s alleged victims and whistleblowers, incensed.
Vuyiswa Busakwe, 53, was among the complainants. She claimed she had bought a house from Mokotla for R5 000.
“I am not happy at all. What it means is that if you are poor like me and don’t have money to pay lawyers, there is nowhere to go,” she lamented.
She said she had hoped to testify against Mokotla in order to expose corruption in the allocation of houses.
“I bought the house from him because I was too desperate. I had been on the waiting list for too long and was frustrated by seeing people who registered after me getting houses while I didn’t. Where is justice here?”
Some, like Shirley Godongo, called on Minister of Human Settlements Tokyo Sexwale to intervene.
“Why was he not allowed to have his day in court? Why were the witnesses not allowed to testify? It means there is never justice for the poor people like us.
“We want Tokyo to come and investigate. We got the evidence but were not allowed to prove it in court,” Godongo said.
Thapelo Mosila, one of the whistleblowers, called on the National Prosecuting Authority to investigate.
“The (local) court officials here cannot be trusted. How can they reinstate the charges, set the trial date, call witnesses and drop charges at the drop of a hat?”
Comment from the NPA was not available at the time of publication.