The State has uncovered 10 more payments by Digital Vibes to a Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) employee, which came directly from the R3.9-million tender awarded to the controversial communications company.

The employee, Lizeka Tonjeni, is currently on trial in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria on one count of corruption. She has pleaded not guilty.

The charge is related to the contract that MISA awarded to Digital Vibes in 2018. Tonjeni was a project manager in the office of the chief executive at the time. 

During this time, she received R160 000 from Digital Vibes, which the State alleges was a bribe to further Digital Vibes' interests. 

Following the money

Following the flow of funds, the State previously placed it on record that money paid to Digital Vibes by MISA was transferred to a number of different accounts, including an FNB account belonging to a company named Composite Trade and Investments.

The bank account for the company was opened by Tahera Mather.

According to a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report, Mather is one of the actual owners of Digital Vibes, even though the company was registered in the name of a petrol station manager in Stanger, KwaZulu-Natal.

Between December 2018 and August 2020, eight payments totalling R160 000 were paid to Tonjeni into her Capitec account from the Composite bank account. On Tonjeni's own version, these were payments from Mather.

According to Tonjeni, Mather bought R60 000 worth of healthcare products over six different payments between December 2018 and December 2019. She said Mather also gave her two loans of R50 000 each towards her business in March and August 2020. 

Tonjeni said she sold healthcare products for Zija International. However, this side hustle was never disclosed to MISA. Tonjeni's version is that she told her boss verbally.

Evidence presented to the court showed that Tonjeni made no financial declarations between 2018 and 2020. 

Ten more payments

On Wednesday, during cross-examination of Tonjeni, State prosecutor, advocate Willem van Zyl, placed it on record that 10 more payments had been made from the Composite bank account into her Capitec account between October 2018 and November 2019.

According to the State, Tonjeni received:

• R5 000 on 31 October 2018
• R3 000 on 8 November 2018
• R5 000 on 29 January 2019
• R100 on 20 February 2019
• R5 000 on 20 March 2019
• R5 000 on 24 May 2019
• R5 000 on 22 June 2019
• R5 000 on 1 October 2019
• R1 600 on 20 October 2019
• R5 000 on 5 November 2019

Explaining the additional R34 700 paid into the bank account, Tonjeni said most of the payments related to Mather buying healthcare products from her.

On the R100 payment, Tonjeni first said it was petrol money as she sent a colleague to the mall to fetch stationery for Mather.

When asked whether the stationery was for Digital Vibes, Tonjeni then changed her version and said the colleague was picking up Chesa Nyama [food] that Mather had ordered.

Tonjeni said Mather had originally asked her to go, but she was busy, so she asked a colleague and gave them R100 for petrol, which she was reimbursed for.

Effectively, Tonjeni told the court that Mather bought R94 600 worth of healthcare products in a single year from her and also advanced her money for her healthcare business.

No slips

Tonjeni explained that she would buy the healthcare products from Zija International and then resell them at her own rate.

She also testified that if she recruited other people to Zija International, she was paid a commission.

However, Tonjeni could not produce a single invoice or receipt for products bought from Zija International, nor could she show evidence of her putting in orders for products via email.

She said this was because she no longer used a Vodamail account and that Vodacom could not retrieve the account for her, and Zija International had since closed down in South Africa.

On Thursday, the State was expected to take Tonjeni through purchases she made as reflected on her bank account.

Digital Vibes

News24 previously reported that MISA falls under the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta). At the time, Zweli Mkhize was the Cogta minister.

Mather was at one stage Mkhize's spokesperson.

Digital Vibes has also been the subject of an investigation into a R150-million health department tender. The SIU found that the contract was irregular and unlawful and that Mkhize and his family benefitted from the tender.

No allegations have been levelled against Mather, Mitha or Mkhize in the Tonjeni case.