Cape Town - Four fraud-accused have each been granted R3 000 bail after they appeared in the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday on charges of fraud and money laundering after allegedly stealing Sassa grant funds for their own enrichment.
The four – Palesa Sigaqa, 37, Masonwabe Madlingozi, 40, Busisiwe Geleba, 35, and Luyanda Brighton Geleba, 50 – were arrested on Tuesday by the East London Serious Corruption Investigation team of the Hawks in Queenstown.
Hawks spokesperson Yolisa Mgolodela said those arrested were two former Post Office staff and each of their partners.
“The 37-year-old Post Office branch manager, the 35-year-old Post Office teller, the 40-year-old former police official and boyfriend to the former Post Office branch manager and the 50-year-old former educator and husband to the Post Office teller were arrested.
“It is alleged that during the period 2020 and 2021, Post Office officials were stealing Sassa grant funds for their personal enrichment. Information was received by Crime Intelligence and handed over to the Hawks for extensive probing. The investigations revealed that the Post Office officials orchestrated the transactions by omitting, inflating and under-accounting entries on the systems in place to create an opportunity to siphon cash which was meant to pay Sassa beneficiaries. It is further alleged that ghost beneficiaries were also created. The Inter Grant Payment System (IGPS) and the accounting system were manipulated in this fashion,” said Mgolodela.
Mgolodela said their investigations revealed that, on July 13, 2021, during the collection of evidence, cash to the value of more than R139 000 was found at the suspects’ disposal either in vehicles or in their residential places.
“Further probing revealed that a total of more than R10.2 million was siphoned from the coffers of Sassa, hence their arrest on September 27. They are expected to make their first court appearance in Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on September 28,” said Mgolodela.
The acting provincial head, Brigadier Tamara Njikelana, commended the team for their expert investigation skills that ensured that the perpetrators were brought to book.
The matter was postponed to November 25 for copies of the dockets and other preliminary matters.
Cape Times