THE TRIAL OF SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL AND SECURITY COMPANY DIRECTORS RECOMMENCES IN THE HIGH COURT

THE TRIAL OF SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL AND SECURITY COMPANY DIRECTORS RECOMMENCES IN THE HIGH COURT

The trial of Dr. Steven Jonkers, the former Head of the Department (HOD) of the Northern Cape Department of Health and the current Deputy Director General of the Northern Cape Provincial Government, Defensor Electronic Security Systems, and the company directors Gert Renier Van Rooyen and Claudius Gerald Peterson, has resumed in the High Court of South Africa, Northern Cape Division, sitting in Kimberley.

The former Head of the Department of Health is charged with contravening the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). Defensor Electronic Security Systems, and its directors are charged with fraud, as well as contravening the Private Security Industry Regulations Act (PSIRA). The former HOD, as the accounting officer, is alleged to have concluded a contract with Defensor without following the correct procurement processes.

The state alleges that Dr. Steven Jonkers, who was the accounting officer at the time of the commissioning of the crime, approved the security tender that Defensor Electronic Security Systems and its directors had bid for, even though the company did not have the required security licence and other SARS documents to its name, to be considered or qualify for the tender. The security contract amounted to more than R380 million.

The three accused were arrested on 08 October 2021, where they made their first appearance in the Kimberley District Court. The accused were granted bail, and the two directors of the security company were each granted bail of R100 000, and the former HOD was granted bail of R50 000.

Their trial began in the high court in March 2023, where the prosecution team, led by Senior State Advocate Isaac Mphela and Advocate Jean Booysen, called on numerous witnesses, in its quest to prove the state’s case.

During the trial, the court heard how some of the documents pertaining to the Defensor Electronic Security Systems bid tender documents, had disappeared, and the prosecution had to call several specialists in the field of security, auditing, and supply chain, to come and testify to prove secondary evidence to the court that the accused have a case to answer. The trial is continuing in the High Court of South Africa, Northern Cape Division sitting in Kimberley, where on Wednesday 06 September 2023, the court is expected to rule on the admissibility of some of the documents that are part of evidence of the state case.