East London based Serious Corruption Investigation (SCI) team of the Hawks ensured that Tubalomtandazo Butshingi (32) appeared before the East London Magistrate’s Court in connection with fraud yesterday, October 10, 2023.
His matter was then remanded for legal representation and formal bail application today, October 11.
Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba said, it is alleged that Butshingi was involved in a car accident near Muvhango in East London on September 9, 2020.
“The accused allegedly claimed that he was a pedestrian standing on the side of the road waiting to cross when an unknown car, that was reportedly coming from Mdantsane, knocked him down and it did not stop. Butshingi indicated that he sustained injuries of a fractured right ankle and was taken to hospital for treatment,” said Fumba.
He added that further allegations revealed that he lodged a claim against the Road Accident Fund (RAF) due to the accident.
He said the RAF reportedly conducted its internal investigation and picked up discrepancies between the accused’s version and the hospital records before the claim was paid. Fumba said, however, RAF reportedly repudiated the claim.
“The matter was reported to the Hawks for probing. The investigation revealed that Butshingi had intentionally submitted a false claim to defraud RAF, where he has misrepresented the facts of what occurred during the accident. Therefore, RAF was nearly prejudiced amount of over R5 million.”
The Provincial Head of the Hawks in Eastern Cape, Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya, has admired the efforts by the SCI team of the Hawks for sterling work done during the arrest of a suspect who intentionally submitted a false claim to RAF.
