Pretoria – Company directors of Hartman Industrial Equipment (PTY) Ltd were arrested by the Hawks in Mpumalanga and charged with fraud after they allegedly supplied cheaper actuators to Sasol.
Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi, Mpumalanga provincial spokesperson for the Hawks said the company directors appeared in court on the day of their arrest, on Tuesday.
“Hartman Industrial Equipment (PTY) Ltd, Charles Sydney Hendry Hartman (63) and Eulene Hartman (61) appeared before the Evander Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 after they were arrested by the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation in Secunda on the same day for fraud,” said Sekgotodi.
“Allegations were reported anonymously to Sasol via Sasol Ethics Line that Hartmans Industrial Equipment (PTY) Ltd supplied Sasol (PTY) Ltd with less expensive actuators sourced from Omal Automation (PTY) Ltd instead of actuators sourced from Festo (PTY) Ltd as requested by Sasol,” she said.
The Hawks said Hartman Industrial Equipment (PTY) Ltd allegedly supplied the actuators from the different supplier disguised in Festo-branded packaging.
Actuators are fuel control regulators used in the industry.
“The Hartmans defrauded Sasol by supplying Omal actuators instead of agreed Festo actuators, charging the same price. Based on the outcome of an audit conducted by Sasol, it was discovered that the Hartmans has been supplying the actuators to Sasol from 2011 to 2017,” said Sekgotodi.
“They had supplied 182 in the period mentioned and 88 of them were Omal actuators instead of Festo actuators. The Hartmans are the directors of the company, Hartman Industrial Equipment (PTY) Ltd,” she said.
The Hawks said the Hartmans have already paid back money to Sasol.
“They were summoned on May 6, 2022 to appear in court. On (Tuesday) they appeared and the matter was postponed to June 8, 2022 for further investigation,” said Sekgotodi.
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