A procurement official at the Johannesburg Market, SA’s biggest fresh produce outlet, is an unlikely Ferrari owner, so a degree of suspicion is inevitable. It is possible, of course, that he might have a rich and generous relative, but then he would surely have no need to be waking at an ungodly hour to sell his labour weighing and pricing tomatoes and potatoes supplied by local farmers. Indeed, one market official was observed driving around in a Ferrari recently, and since his salary put such a pricey Italian car way out of his means, a lifestyle audit was launched and the official was duly arrested earlier in March for alleged fraud — he was apparently fiddling with the figures for stock received, perhaps taking a cut after inflating prices in cahoots with suppliers. The individual concerned was released on bail pending a second court appearance, according to a statement from mayor Herman Mashaba’s office. Two other suspects were on the run at the time of the flashy official’s ar...

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