Ex-official found guilty in Lenasia land saga

Friday, December 19, 2014

Pretoria – Gauteng Human Settlements MEC Jacob Mamabolo has welcomed the sentencing of a former City of Johannesburg official, who was found guilty for his involvement in the illegal sale of State land in Lenasia. 

Sifiso Handsome Litau was on Thursday sentenced to correctional supervision and a five-year suspended sentence for three counts of fraud at the Johannesburg Magistrate Court. 

Litau was also ordered to pay back the money to the people he defrauded.  All repayments must be done on or before the 5th of every month starting from 05 January 2015. 

MEC Mamabolo said the sentence will send a strong message to other officials that crime does not pay. 

He said they are happy that Litau has been sentenced and the fact that he is no longer going to serve the public. 

Litau resigned last year from the employ of City of Johannesburg. He tendered his resignation during an internal disciplinary hearing, where three witnesses who bought land from him gave evidence.  

His resignation letter was accepted and signed by the presiding officer at the disciplinary hearing. 

He is among a number of people who have been found guilty by different courts for their involvement in the illegal selling of State land. 

The kingpin in the illegal sale of land, Richard Zikhali (49), was sentenced to five years in prison by the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court early this year. 

Zikhali was arrested in 2010 for defrauding people out of millions of rands by selling them State owned stands.

Zikhali could have been sentenced to 10 years in prison but the magistrate considered the fact that he had already spent four years in prison, as he was denied bail since his arrest in 2010. He made admissions for his involvement in the crimes of selling State owned land. 

The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements laid charges against the suspects after a thorough investigation by the department’s Anti-Fraud and Corruption Unit. – SAnews.gov.za