GQEBERHA – Nandipha Tutani (47) and Nobuntu Mjili (50) were arrested on 15 September and subsequently appeared before the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on the same day of their apprehension.
According to the Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, the duo were arrested by the Gqeberha Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation after they were allegedly implicated in a fraudulent scheme that resulted in the Department of Labour suffering a financial prejudice of approximately R1.1 million.
“In 2018, it is alleged that Tutani was previously employed by the Gqeberha Department of Labour within the Employer Services section,” he said. “It is further alleged that her official responsibilities included the capturing, verification and filing of Employer Declaration of Employees forms, commonly referred to as UI-19 forms, on benefit files.”
Mhlakuvana added that reports state that the accused assisted prospective claimants by providing them with claim forms and other documentation required to initiate an application process of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).
“In certain instances, the accused allegedly assisted with arrangements involving bank accounts through which the proceeds of the fraudulent claims could be received,” he said. “During auditing, discrepancies were picked up by the Department and the matter was subsequently handed over to the Hawks.”
Mhlakuvana said the investigation indicated that the alleged scheme did not merely depend on the submission of isolated fraudulent applications, but involved the participation of several individuals performing different functions within what appeared to have been a coordinated modus operandi.
According to a thorough investigation, Tutani and Mjili allegedly recruited individuals to institute UIF claims despite those individuals not meeting the requirements for receiving such benefits.
“The investigation further alleges that Tutani acted in common purpose with other individuals, including Mjili, in the orchestration and execution of the fraudulent scheme,” he said.
“The alleged conduct involved the recruitment of purported claimants, the preparation and submission of fraudulent applications.”
Mhlakuvana added that the capturing and processing of the applications, as well as the subsequent receipt and withdrawal of funds paid as a consequence of the allegedly fraudulent claims, formed part of the scheme.
“Intensive probing by the Hawks resulted in the arrest of the suspects at Gqeberha on 15 September,” he said. “The duo subsequently appeared before the court on the same day and were each released on R2 000 bail, and the matter was postponed to 5 October for legal representation.”
The Provincial Head of the Hawks, Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya, applauded the investigating team for the enormous work done in bringing the perpetrators before court.
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