Four in court for allegedly swindling R80,000 from burial society
The suspects were arrested on Wednesday, February 18.
Image: Pixabay / File
Four suspects in the Eastern Cape implicated in a R800,000 burial society fraud matter made a brief appearance in the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
Nandipha Mfoboza, 52, Busisiwe Nondudule, 52, Faniswa Nobambela, 44, and Nommiselo Solani, 47, were arrested on Wednesday, February 18 and face fraud charges.
The provincial spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as Hawks), Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, said the group was arrested by members of the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation (SCCI) based in Mthatha.
“The complainant, acting on behalf of Thuso Fund Burial Society, headquartered in Orkney, in the North West province, reported that during May 2025, the Head Office detected suspicious First National Bank (FNB) deposit slips which were ostensibly submitted from its Eastern Cape branches.
“This prompted an internal audit process aimed at verifying the authenticity of the deposit documentation and reconciling the reflected amounts with the company’s official bank statements,” Mhlakuvana said.
The matter was referred to the Hawks for an in-depth probe.
“The investigation revealed material discrepancies. Several deposit slips submitted under the Mthatha main branch were reportedly found to be fictitious. It is alleged that the amounts reflected therein did not correspond with any deposits recorded in the company’s bank account,” Mhlakuvana said.
Preliminary findings allegedly pointed to deliberate misrepresentation and systematic manipulation of financial records.
“Further investigation alleged that through the submission of fictitious deposit slips, the accused misrepresented that funds had been deposited into the company’s account, thereby causing actual financial prejudice amounting to R800,000,” Mhlakuvana said.
The Hawks’ investigation identified four employees allegedly linked to the fraudulent scheme.
The group is expected to apply for bail on Thursday, February 19.
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