MTHATHA – A 38-year-old Eastern Cape woman has appeared in court on fraud charges after allegedly attempting to claim nearly R1 million from the Road Accident Fund by falsely presenting herself as the surviving spouse of her dead brother.
According to Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, Ntombizandile Mda appeared before the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on 25 June following an investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) through its Mthatha Serious Commercial Crime Investigation (SCCI) unit.
Mhlakuvana said the case stems from a fatal road accident that occurred on 4 March 2023, when a man was struck by a motor vehicle on the R411 near Viedgesville in Mthatha and died at the scene.
He said that after the accident, the accused allegedly submitted a fraudulent claim to the Road Accident Fund in respect of the deceased.
“The alleged fraud was detected after the RAF identified discrepancies in the claim and referred the matter to the Hawks for further investigation. A thorough investigation by the Hawks confirmed allegations of fraud,” said Mhlakuvana.
He added that investigations further revealed that the accused allegedly attempted to exploit the death of her own brother by falsely presenting herself as his surviving spouse and claiming that they had two minor children together.
Mhlakuvana said that it is alleged that she falsely claimed to have paid the deceased’s funeral expenses and sought compensation for loss of support.
“As a result of the alleged fraudulent claim, the Road Accident Fund narrowly avoided a potential loss of approximately R986,300 after the claim was repudiated,” said Mhlakuvana.
Following the investigation, he said that Mda was served with a summons to appear before the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
Mhlakuvana said that she was released on warning, and the matter was postponed to 14 July for disclosure of the docket contents.
