A 63-year-old suspect who served as a chairperson of Belega Women’s Investments is set to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court, accused of defrauding the entity.
The impending trial is the culmination of an investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team based in Bloemfontein. Capt. Christopher Singo, provincial spokesperson for this Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), said probing was launched after a complaint had been received from one of the shareholders.
He said the suspect was served with a summons on 14 September, to appear on 18 October. The charges include fraud, money laundering, and contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca).
“The complainant, who is a shareholder in Belega Women’s Investments (Pty) Ltd, obtained bank statements of the company and discovered that the suspect, who was a chairperson of the company, transferred several amounts of money from the investment body to her own personal bank account without the consent of the shareholders.
“The company suffered a loss of more than R1 million,” said Singo.
He said the alleged crime took place between February 2018 and March 2020.
The investment entity has been in business since early 2000 and has a stake in the Mangaung Sun, with partners that include Thabo Community Action Trust, Etapele Investments, Umyeso Leisure Investments, Tsela Tshoeu Investments and Mathabo Business Investments. These bodies represent a substantial number of shareholders drawn from underprivileged Free State communities.
