More SA companies hijacked

Johannesburg - The directorships of three more companies have been anonymously hijacked, the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office (Cipro) said on Friday.

"Cipro learnt today of three more companies whose directors were allegedly changed fraudulently. These companies are Remag, Ntiro Technologies and News Café Rivonia," Cipro spokesperson Elsabé Conradie said in a statement.

"Cipro is taking a hard stance against fraud. The registration office has suspended an employee and launched a forensic audit in a move to combat fraud," she said.

Conradie said that the employee's suspension was a precautionary measure, and although the transactions were done manually, a forensic audit was launched on the transactions anyway.

"Cipro [has also] joined forces with various law enforcement authorities in an effort to cull the recent spate of fraudulent, un-mandated amendments to directors of companies," she said.

In August last year, controversial businessman Sandile Majali, together with Stephan Khoza, Haralambos Sferopoulous, and Elvis Bongani Ndala, faced fraud charges for allegedly changing the directorship of mining company Kalahari Resources.

They allegedly removed Kalahari Resources' two directors, Brian Amos Mashile and his sister Daphne Mashile-Nkosi, from the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office (Cipro) database.

Majali was found dead at the Sandton Quatermain Hotel on Boxing Day last year.

Conradie said Cipro would continue to strengthen its internal controls and additional assurance checks had been implemented to detect possible fraudulent activities at an early stage.

She also advised companies to remain vigilant in ensuring that their directorships remained the same, and to report any abnormalities if unsure.