2023/01/21 |
Media Statement
MPUMALANGA – The Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team based in Nelspruit secured a conviction of three accused through their meticulous investigation. The trio charged with fraud and money laundering was found guilty and sentenced when they appeared in the Nelspruit Regional Court on Friday, 20 January 2023. Grace Mokoka (46), a former deputy director at the Department of Land and Rural Development fraudulently issued appointment letter in 2011 to a service provider, Thandi Mndawe of Sadia Trading who did not submit tender documents to render any services to the Department. The company received undue payment of R2 950 000.00 for services that were never rendered. Mndawe and her business partner, Zenzele Mncwango (52) were later instructed by Mokoka to make cash withdrawal followed by a couple of electronic transfers to another company. Further cash demands were also made by Sikhumbuzo Nkosi (45) who worked as a mentor in the same government department and he was also a husband to Mokoka. Mndawe entered into a plea sentence agreement with the state and she was given a suspended sentence in 2018, she also became a state witness to the case against the trio. Grace Mokoka, Zenzele Mncwango and Skhumbuzo Nkosi were each sentenced to ten (10) year’s imprisonment for fraud, three of the ten years were suspended for five years with conditions. They were further sentenced to three years improvement for money laundering. The trio will each serve an effectively ten (10) years imprisonment.
During the conviction of the suspects, the court granted preservation orders of a double story house at Kamagugu, seven vehicles and Pension funds of the convicts.
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