Two accused, fingered in a criminal case of issuing fraudulent roadworthy certificates, have been sentenced while seven more await their fate as the trial is still ongoing. The Ficksburg Magistrates’ Court in the Free State on Tuesday, 3 June, sentenced the duo, Tladi Jacob Letaba (48) and Thato Phumulane Mbonane (37), following their conviction.
They were found guilty of corruption, fraud, and conspiracy to commit a crime. Letaba is a taxi driver while Mbonane worked as a vehicle examiner at a testing centre in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape. They had been out on R5 000 bail each.
The duo’s sentencing was a result of the Free State Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team presenting compelling evidence into an organised fraud scheme to issue fraudulent roadworthy certificates, that saw several unroadworthy vehicles operate on South African roads. The accused are part of a group of nine arrested during October 2021, following an in-depth investigation operation the Hawks conducted in Ficksburg.
Letaba
Col. Zweli Mohobeleli, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said the court slapped Letaba and Mbonane with prison sentences on counts of corruption, and sentences of either paying fines or facing imprisonment on counts of fraud. He said the court suspended the sentences for five years, respectively, on the conditions the accused are not found guilty of similar crimes in future.
“For corruption, Letaba was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years. On the charge of fraud, he was fined R20 000 or six years’ imprisonment.
“On the charge of corruption, Mbonane was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years. He was fined R40 000 or sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for fraud,” said Mohobeleli.
He said the court imposed five-year sentences on both accused on the charge of conspiracy to commit crime. “The court wholly suspended the sentences to four years,” said Mohobeleli, adding that half of the financial fines were suspended for five years. He said the remaining seven accused are expected to reappear in the Ficksburg Magistrates’ Court on 12 August.
Brig. Xolani Matroos, acting provincial head of the Hawks, said similar operations conducted in other parts of the Free State resulted in numerous suspects brought to book by the courts. “The Hawks are always watching; their sharp claws are ready to descend on any traffic officer, vehicle examiner, owner, and driver involved in corruption,” he said.
