A businesswoman in the eastern Free State’s town of Qwaqwa is facing charges of fraud and money laundering relating to the Covid-19 pandemic’s Temporary Employment Relief Scheme (Ters) funds. The suspect, Maletsatsi Julia Mathibela (49), appeared in the Phuthaditjhaba Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 27 September, hours after her arrest.
The woman’s arrest by the Bethlehem Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team is the culmination of an investigation launched after the discovery of prima facie evidence revealing discrepancies in claims submitted for Covid-19 Ters funds for ghost workers.
Col Zweli Mohobeleli, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said the probing revealed that Mathibela allegedly made a false misrepresentation at the Department of Labour when applying for the funds late in 2020. He said damning evidence includes proof that Mathibela’s company was not operational and the six workers’ funds she applied for, were also not registered wit the Department of Labour.
Mohobeleli said the suspect used an unregistered company known as Cyclonic Holdings. He said the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) reported the fraud to the Hawks for further investigation.
“It is alleged that on 27 September 2020, the suspect applied for the Covid-19 relief fund with the Department of Labour. An amount of more than R199 000 was claimed on behalf of employees purportedly working for her company. However, investigations revealed that such employees never existed. The six people who were interviewed denied working for the suspect,” said Mohobeleli. He said the court granted Mathibela bail of R5 000, and she is expected reappear in court on 18 November.
