Jacob Hlatshwayo, the former chief financial officer (CFO) of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (DAFF), has been sentenced in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Cape Town after being convicted on corruption charges linked to an irregular tender valued at R10.8 million.
The corruption case dates back to 2017, when an irregular tender was awarded by the DAFF to a service provider, Wiljaro. The tender involved the transportation, processing, warehousing, marketing, and selling of confiscated abalone and shark fins. The investigation revealed that Hlatshwayo had allegedly promised to award the R10.8 million contract to Shamode Trading in exchange for a civil case being dropped against both DAFF and Wiljaro by the company’s CEO.
A forensic investigation report from the appointed business advisory firm IFIRM corroborated the claims of corruption, which led to the case being referred to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team. This thorough investigation resulted in the arrest of Hlatshwayo and his two accomplices.
On February 17, 2025, Hlatshwayo, along with his co-accused, appeared in court for judgment. While he was found guilty of corruption, he was acquitted on fraud charges and violations of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). His co-accused were cleared of all charges.
The court sentenced Hlatshwayo to six years of direct imprisonment, of which two years were suspended for five years, contingent upon him not being convicted of any future corruption offenses. Hlatshwayo will serve four years behind bars and was further declared unfit to possess a firearm. This ruling underscores the ongoing efforts to combat corruption in South Africa’s public sector.
