Pretoria – The Palmridge Magistrate’s Court has sentenced 52-year-old Carmelia Mngomezulu to 15 years’ imprisonment, after finding her guilty on 762 counts of fraud.
Mngomezulu was arrested in Protea Glen, Soweto, on November 25, 2020 and later released on R5 000 bail.
Mngomezulu worked as a senior account executive for Inyathi Pty (Ltd), a payroll company, from 2015 to 2018, according to Hawks spokesperson Colonel Philani Nkwalase.
“Her duties, among others, were to authorise payments of her employer’s clients, pay the employees’ salaries and also pay for repairs and maintenance.
“Internal audit was conducted and it was established that Mngomezulu would occasionally transfer the company’s funds into her personal account and those of her family members,” said Nkwalase.
The company suffered a financial loss of approximately R3.7 million.
A case docket was registered and handed over to the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation team based in Johannesburg.
“Subsequent to her arrest, she made several court appearances until on May 3, 2023, she was convicted and sentenced to 15 years direct imprisonment,” said Nkwalase.
In another case, Lerato Patricia Mufamadi, 40, appeared before the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court charged with theft and fraud of more than R15m.
Captain Lloyd Ramovha, a spokesperson for the Hawks in Gauteng, said Mufamadi allegedly stole the money from her employer, Mine and Metals Group-SA in Rosebank.
“Mufamadi, a former employee of Mine and Metals Group-SA (Pty) Ltd, was an executive assistant and office administrator whose responsibilities included petty cash reconciliations and processing of supplier invoices,” Ramovha said.
“The Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation team has revealed that for a period of about five years, from May 2017 to October 2021, she fraudulently altered suppliers’ banking details to hers.
“Invoices were processed for payments that ended up in her bank account for self-gain. Her employer was prejudiced an amount of over R15 million as a result,” the Hawks said at the time.
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