Pretoria - North West Human Settlements MEC Desbo Mohono has urged police to leave no stone unturned in their investigations into "tender for sale" scams.
Mohono has also warned business owners to be wary of "unscrupulous operators" who promised tenders for sale.
She called on business owners who have been swindled out of money after being approached with such offers to report their experiences to police, stressing that police should carry out intensive investigations into the allegations.
"Business is given a bad name by 'tenderpreneurs' who seek to cut corners in order to get rich at the wink of an eye," Mohono said.
Her comments come after the Hawks arrested four suspects for defrauding a Mahikeng business woman.
They allegedly conned her out of R15 000 by promising her a R16.5 million contract for the construction of toilets in the Mafikeng Local Municipality.
The woman had reportedly paid R15 000 of the R250 000 the syndicate had asked for in return for awarding the tender, but became worried when she was pressurised for the rest of the money.
She reported the matter to the Hawks, who then set up an operation that led to the arrest of the two suspects. The remaining two members of the alleged syndicate were later arrested.
The suspects are expected to appear in court on Monday.
