Hawks to Brian Hlongwa: Corruption probe is still ongoing

Former Gauteng health MEC, Brian Hlongwa, and 11 other cohorts have been implicated in a corruption case and the Hawks are here to remind them that it is not over, according to Eyewitness News.

Why is Brian Hlongwa under investigation?

The SIU (Special Investigations Unit) found that Hlongwa was directly involved in irregular expenditure at the Gauteng health department between 2006 and 2010, with costs spilling over R1bn.

The SIU report suggests that Hlongwa accepted bribes, took luxury trips using state funds and benefited from many other illicit activities in his position as health MEC.

Zuma’s shelter of protection has been removed

This report was submitted to then-president Jacob Zuma with recommendations from the Hawks to pursue criminal charges against Hlongwa but it seemed at the time that this fell on deaf ears.

With Zuma ousted in February 2018, and president Cyril Ramaphosa seemingly committed to clean up the dead weight in his political party, it would appear that the prosecution of Hlongwa will come at last.

Hawks direct the warning to Brian Hlongwa and co.

Hawks’ Hangwani Mulaudzi says that the case is not closed. In a statement that seemed to be directed at the suspects under investigations.

He added “What we can confirm now is that there are new instructions that we received from the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] which the investigating team are dealing with. The notion that the case is closed is not true”.

Hlongwa has maintained his innocence throughout the investigation. His stance is that he has done nothing wrong and firmly believes that all of these allegations are false.

His dealings with the Hawks spans all the way back to 2014 when the special investigations authority, together with the SAPS (South African Police Service), issued a warrant for his arrest and later withdrew it after he’d arranged to hand himself in.