Former Eastern Cape justice dept clerks in court for fraud
Nobantu Patricia Xaki and Noyolo Victoria Mtatambi defrauded department beneficiaries of over R770,000 (US$53,498) while employed as administrative clerks.
CAPE TOWN, April 30 (ANA) – Two former maintenance clerks at the department of justice in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province have appeared in the Mthatha magistrate’s court on charges of fraud, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) said on Friday.
Nobantu Patricia Xaki and Noyolo Victoria Mtatambi defrauded department beneficiaries of over R770,000 (US$53,498) while employed as administrative clerks attached to the section responsible for the receipt and depositing of maintenance payments, Hawks spokeswoman Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said in a statement.
They were arrested on Wednesday and appeared in court on Thursday, after it emerged that money that needed to be paid to beneficiaries had been transferred into fictitious accounts allegedly opened by the pair, who would later withdraw and use it for their personal benefit.
Xaki and Mtatambi have since been released on a warning and are due to reappear before the same court on May 3.
In an unrelated matter, Dumisani Mdeliso and Cikizwa Gqiba also appeared in the Mthatha magistrate’s court on a charge of fraud on Thursday.
According to Mgolodela, the two as well as Zingisa Madonyela, who has since died, were members of the KSD Co-operative, named after the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality, rendering nutrition services to schools in the area.
The trio allegedly opened a fake bank account without the knowledge of other members in April 2008. At the time, the co-operative was expecting a deposit of R1.5 million (US$104,218). The trio submitted the fictitious account details and pocketed the money.
The Mthatha serious commercial crime investigation team arrested the two men on Thursday. They were let out on a warning after a brief appearance in court, with the matter being postponed to Tuesday.
– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa
