Four women have been arrested for registering non-existing “ghost” children on the Social Assistance Agency's database.
The Hawks' Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit has placed charges of fraud, theft and contravening the provisions of the Social Assistance Act, Act 9 of 2004 (Sassa Act) on the women.
They were identified as Nonhlanhla Patricia Madalane , 35, Prudence Letsiwe Nkosi ,30, Tswapelo Prudence Masuku, 31, and Nelile Shiba, 28.
“They submitted false and forged birth certificates through misrepresentation in order to claim undue funds. These activities prejudiced and also caused Sassa an actual loss to an amount of R284 888.00,” said a Hawks statement
Meanwhile, Maria Fatima Botes, 45, George Botes, 45, Ann Cathereen Smit,69, Susanna Aletta Liebenberg, 42, and Chantelle Matthews, 43, appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on May 17, 2023, on charges of fraud, theft and money laundering.
According to the Hawks the complainant in the matter is an accounting and management consulting firm based in Bloemfontein that appoints various bookkeepers to perform accounting work. Mellins i-Style Optometrists Bloemfontein was one of the clients.
The Hawks said in a statement: “It is alleged that during February 2019, Absa’s fraud department notified the complainant as they identified suspicious transactions with regard to transfers of funds from Mellins i-Style Optometrists’ business accounts. Internal investigations were conducted and it was discovered that the accused, who were bookkeepers contracted by the complainant, unlawfully transferred funds from the business account from the period November 2015 until February 2019. As a result Mellins i-Style Optometrists Bloemfontein was prejudiced and suffered a total loss of R2 695 012.”
The matter was postponed and will continue in the Bloemfontein Regional Court on May 26, 2023.