Cape Town properties raided in R1.6bn tender fraud probe

By Johnathan Paoli

The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Commercial Crime Investigation (CCI) unit in the Western Cape has confirmed that a large-scale police operation targeting alleged corruption and tender fraud worth approximately R1.6 billion is underway across the Cape Town metropolitan area following information provided by a whistleblower.

Police spokesperson Andre Traut confirmed that the action, which began executing coordinated search-and-seizure warrants at 26 addresses in the early hours of Wednesday, forms part of an effort to secure both documentary and electronic evidence linked to alleged fraudulent activities involving the City of Cape Town.

“The intervention follows information received from a whistleblower and subsequent preliminary investigations conducted by both the City of Cape Town Municipality and SAPS. The identified addresses include business premises, private residences of municipal officials, and locations linked to individuals and entities that were awarded contracts by the Municipality,” Traut said.

The operation, still ongoing, marks