Durban - KwaZulu-Natal taxi owner Sthembiso Gcaba, 47, who faces 69 counts of fraud, was granted R5 000 bail in the Durban Magistrates Court, on Thursday.
Gcaba was also charged for theft of R118 800 and for being in possession of stolen property, that being 69 South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) cards.
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said police pounced on Gcaba, on Saturday, while he was withdrawing cash from different Sassa cards at an ATM on Anton Lembede (Smith) Street. Cards and cash of R7 640 were allegedly found on Gcaba.
Magistrate Vanitha Armu granted Gcaba bail with conditions that he hand over his passport to the investigating officer and report to the Durban North police station once a week. Prosecutor Zakhele Nzuza said he was awaiting a Senior Public Prosecutor’s decision on whether the matter will be transferred to the Durban Commercial Crime Court.
Nzuza said police allegedly noticed Gcaba holding a black bag. He kept taking out cards and placing cash inside the bag.
According to the charge sheet, on March 6, Gcaba did wrongfully and unlawfully and with intent to defraud misrepresent the South African Post Office (Sapo) and or Sassa and or beneficiaries.
He was not lawfully entitled to possess Sapo records and withdraw cash from the accounts. Gcaba knew well that the Sapo cards were not issued to him and that he was not lawfully entitled to use them to withdraw cash.
Gcaba’s attorney Chris Gounden said the state did not oppose bail because his client had a fixed address and no previous convictions or pending cases. Gounden said Gcaba had nine children, was self-employed and requested a low bail amount because the minibus taxi industry had suffered financial losses due to the Covid -19 lockdown.
Gcaba used a hoodie to cover his head while being photographed in court.
Sassa spokesperson Sandy Godlwana said they were satisfied with the increase in the number of arrests and convictions that are recorded related to social grants fraud. She urged all social grant beneficiaries to protect their cards. They should not give their card to anyone else. Under no circumstances should they divulge their Personal Identification Number (PIN) to anyone.
“We believe this will be a deterrent to all those aspirant in defrauding the social grants system. Every citizen in this country has a responsibility to report wrongdoing and this extends to the reporting of grants being received by citizens who do not qualify for them,” Godlwana said.
Daily News