R384m security tender trial: Defensor directors found guilty

TWO DIRECTORS of Defensor Security Services, Gert Renier van Rooyen and Claudius Peterson, have been found guilty in the Northern Cape High Court on charges of fraud, contravening the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) 1 of 1999, and contravening the Private Security Industry Regulation Act (PSIRA) 56 of 2001. The verdict was delivered on August 11.

Their co-accused, former Northern Cape Department of Health head of department (HOD) Steven Jonkers, was acquitted of all charges after being accused of irregularly awarding a R384 million security tender to Defensor.

Hawks provincial spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Tebogo Thebe said the accused initially handed themselves over to authorities in October 2021.

“Allegations were that the former HOD, who is currently the deputy director-general in the Office of the Premier, awarded a tender irregularly to Defensor Electronic Security Systems company for rendering of security services to the department,” said Thebe.

“The directors of the company submitted fraudulent documents in order to gain an unfair advantage over others to be awarded the tender as the highest bidder. They were awarded the tender between August and October 2017, worth a total value surpassing R224 million; however, it later escalated to an amount exceeding R384 million." 

He added that the case was reported to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit in December 2017, where an enquiry was registered.

"The enquiry was turned into a case docket in January 2020, culminating in the arrest and subsequent court appearances," said Thebe.

The provincial head of the Hawks, Major-General Stephen Mabuela, welcomed the conviction.

"The wheels of justice may have turned slowly in this matter, but this conviction offers us hope. My appreciation goes to both the investigating and prosecutorial teams for their hard work," said Mabuela.