BLOEMFONTEIN – The Free State Division of the High Court in Bloemfontein has sentenced a Kroonstad conman, Sello Cedric Pinkoane (52), to a minimum of 14 years’ direct imprisonment after finding him guilty in a fraud case involving R64.8 million. The fraudster was found guilty on charges including fraud, uttering, and money laundering.
The court handed down the sentence on Wednesday 3 December, based on compelling evidence. Pinkoane’s conviction and sentencing were the culmination of an investigation by the Welkom Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit. The investigation uncovered malicious criminal activity by Pinkoane, who enticed the victim with a purported tender deal with a mining company in the Free State.
Read more about the Hawks’ other successes regarding fraud here.
Lt Col Zweli Mohobeleli, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said the fraud began in January 2017, involving the defrauding of an older businesswoman of a whopping R64.8 million through a purported lucrative tender with a mining company. He said no money or assets were recovered from the accused to compensate the victim from Lesotho.
Victim discovers she has been defrauded
“The accused had approached an older businesswoman with a business proposition, claiming to have secured a lucrative tender with one of the leading mining companies. He told the victim that he was in urgent need of vehicles and cash. The businesswoman obliged and purchased six Isuzu bakkies and gave the accused money in addition,” said Mohobeleli.
He said when the victim later inquired with the mining company, she discovered that the accused had never secured a tender.
“It was revealed that Pinkoane had forged her signature and changed ownership of the vehicles, which he sold to the mining company,” said Mohobeleli.
Police reports indicate Pinkoane was a fugitive from justice with other pending cases, including escaping from lawful custody on 15 February 2023, and theft of copper cables and aluminium. He committed these crimes while he was a fugitive from prison.
The Steynsrus police, working with the Zamdela Tactical Response team, re-arrested Pinkoane on 24 January this year after receiving intelligence information about his whereabouts. According to police reports, Pinkoane was caught red-handed stealing copper cables and aluminium on a farm outside Steynsrus. He was with two accomplices at the time.
