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Bit players in Digital Vibes scandal on the hook while the big fish swim free

Bit players in Digital Vibes scandal on the hook while the big fish swim free
Lizeka Tonjeni, a senior Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency official, was found guilty in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes court on charges relating to the Digital Vibes contract. (Photo: Supplied)
Vincent Cruywagen
By Vincent Cruywagen
3 Jun 2024
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However, the NPA says prominent individuals implicated in the R150m Digital Vibes scheme are still under investigation. Three years after the scandal was exposed, the prosecuting authority has confirmed that the probe continues.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is awaiting the completion of a forensic report into the flow of funds emanating from alleged offences relating to the R150-million Digital Vibes Department of Health contract, NPA regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said on Friday, 31 May.

“The investigations are most certainly ongoing.”

Mahanjana was responding to Daily Maverick’s questions about how far the Digital Vibes investigation had progressed, whether those implicated would be charged, and when the case might go to trial.

The NPA’s remarks follow the conviction of Lizeka Tonjeni, 49, a senior Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (Misa) official. The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court found her guilty of corruption on 24 May.

digital vibes tonjeni Lizeka Tonjeni, a senior Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency official, was found guilty in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes court on charges relating to the Digital Vibes contract. (Photo: Supplied)



Tonjeni received R160,000 in bribes from Digital Vibes director Tahera Mather while she was the Misa project manager for a contract worth nearly R4-million awarded to the company to provide communication services in 2018.

This corruption took place before the Department of Health (DoH) awarded Digital Vibes a R150-million contract. Mather is implicated in both the Misa case and the R150-million scandal.

Tonjeni’s R160,000 payment pales in comparison to the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) damning findings against former health minister Zweli Mkhize and top health department officials in relation to the dodgy Digital Vibes deal.

NHI and Covid deals


The 2021 SIU report, which was released following a series of exposés by Daily Maverick’s Scorpio investigative unit, revealed how the irregular procurement process involving the National Health Insurance (NHI) and Covid-19 media campaign amounted to about R150-million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred by the department.

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-02-26-lest-we-forget-digital-vibes-two-years-on-zweli-mkhize-co-still-free-probe-ongoing/

Evidence obtained by the SIU placed Mather, the former personal spokesperson and long-time friend of Mkhize, and Mkhize’s former personal assistant, Naadhira Mitha, at the centre of a massive alleged looting frenzy enabled by a questionable communications deal from the DoH.

In November 2019, the department awarded the contract to Digital Vibes to provide communications services for the proposed NHI. In March 2020, it extended the scope of the contract to include the Covid-19 media campaign.

The SIU investigation found that Mkhize directly influenced the decision to award a R150-million contract to Digital Vibes and that he and his family financially benefited from the deal. 

It directly implicated the Digital Vibes “masterminds” – Mather and Naadhira Mitha – and several department officials in misconduct and alleged criminal offences.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Released: Damning SIU report finds at least R72m fruitless and wasted, implicates Mkhize, DoH officials in Digital Vibes contract

The SIU also found that Mkhize’s son, Dedani, had received at least R3.8-million from the Digital Vibes contract by way of cash paid through a third-party account, a vehicle that had been bought for him and payments deposited into one of his company’s accounts.

Mkhize has denied that he or his family benefited from the deal.

Tonjeni case


Misa is a national government agency that reports to the minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs.

The alleged corruption began in 2018 when Misa awarded Digital Vibes a tender worth nearly R4-million to provide communication services for 24 months. At the time of the deal, the department was led by Mkhize.

Tonjeni was arrested after turning herself in to police at the Pretoria Central Police Station on 24 May 2022, following a Hawks investigation.

She was released on R5,000 bail.

Explaining the Misa corruption case, the NPA’s Mahanjana said that at the time of the Misa transgression, Tonjeni was designated as a project manager in charge of the appointment and management of the service provider, to whom all communications had been directed.

According to Mahanjana, from December 2018 until August 2020, while Tonjeni was still a project manager, she received payments from Digital Vibes of R160,000 that were not authorised or due to her.

“In court, she pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied that she fraudulently received payments from Digital Vibes. In her testimony, Tonjeni said the payments received from the director of Digital Vibes, Mather, were payments for weight loss and energy booster products she was selling… and as such, she still owes the director of Digital Vibes R85,000, since she was unable to deliver some of the products and pay back her money,” Mahanjana explained.

Magistrate Nicole Setshoge found Tonjeni’s evidence to be unreliable and dishonest and determined that the State was able to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Following the conviction, Tonjeni applied to have her bail extended, but this was opposed by the State.

According to Mahanjana, Tonjeni travelled to the Eastern Cape without notifying the investigating officer and had applied for a new passport despite her bail conditions prohibiting her from doing so.

Dismissing Tonjeni’s application, Setshoge said Tonjeni had undermined the justice system.

Mahanjana said the NPA welcomed the conviction.

However, the high-profile individuals involved in the Digital Vibes scandal remain untouched.

Second Digital Vibes accused before court


Department of Health director of communications Popo Maja appeared briefly before the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in June 2023.

He was charged with two counts of corruption for his alleged role in awarding the R150-million contract. He was allegedly appointed to the Bid Specification and Bid Evaluation Committee in 2019 to appoint a company to handle communications on the NHI.

He allegedly received two payments from Digital Vibes totalling R15,000.

Read more in Daily Maverick: SIU secures order to freeze R22-million in funds linked to Digital Vibes scandal

In June 2021, the SIU froze just over R22-million in cash and investments belonging to Digital Vibes.

Kaizer Kganyago, the SIU’s spokesperson, did not respond to Daily Maverick’s requests for an update on how much the SIU had recovered so far from the Digital Vibes contracts.

Meanwhile, the Special Tribunal also ruled that the SIU may seek to recover nearly R5-million from Zweli Mkhize’s daughter-in-law and from entities owned by his wife, Dr May Mkhize, and his son, Dedani.

Sentencing in the Tonjeni case will begin on 6 June. DM

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