Popo Maja, senior director of communications at the national Department of Health, appeared in court yesterday on corruption charges related to the more than R140m tender awarded to Digital Vibes.
Maja appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court after handing himself over to police, reports EWN.
He has been charged with two counts of corruption for his alleged role in awarding the multi-million-rand contract to Digital Vibes to provide communication services for the department related to the NHI programme.
It's alleged that during this process, in 2019, when he was also the department’s spokesperson, he was given two bribes amounting to R15 000 that were paid into his account by Tahera Mather – former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize’s spokesperson – who ran Digital Vibes.
Maja was one of five officials who sat on the department’s bid specification and evaluation committees when the company was awarded the tender.
This is the latest prosecution after a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report into how millions were irregularly paid to Digital Vibes in tenders, reports News24.
The report also found that the funds were squandered on repairs to Mkhize’s home and a Land Cruiser for his son, among many things.
EWN article – Digital Vibes: ex-Health Dept chief comms director Maja appears in court (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Employee in court for alleged ‘kickback’ from Digital Vibes tender
Mkhize says ‘no evidence’ implicating him in Digital Vibes scandal
Tribunal dismisses Digital Vibes beneficiaries’ bid to avoid scrutiny
Health Department official resigns over Digital Vibes, colleagues demoted