Forensics Staffer Leaked Corruption Probe Details for Cash

A former forensics department employee faces corruption charges after allegedly accepting payment to share confidential municipal corruption investigation findings. Charles Mberikwazvo Kwezera, a 47-year-old foreign national based in Centurion, was arrested this week as the second accused in an Emalahleni graft case.

Kwezera previously worked for the Analytic Forensic Investigation Services (AFIS) division tasked with probing maladministration in the Emalahleni Local Municipality. However, he stands accused of leaking AFIS’s non-public forensic report to municipal official Edwin Mphikeleli Sibiya, 64, the first accused arrested earlier this year.

Investigators discovered financial transactions from Sibiya’s account to Kwezera for the report. It is believed Sibiya paid the former AFIS employee to access the document so he could view the allegations contained within. The confidential report was intended strictly for analytic and law enforcement purposes surrounding the corruption investigation.

Both accused were released on bail this week with the case now transferred to the Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court. Authorities promise to fully pursue justice without fear or favour in the case.

The latest arrest highlights the need for heightened data protection when handling sensitive municipality probes. But it also underscores that law enforcement stands ready to crack down on breaches seeking to obscure facts around public sector graft.