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Pretoria - The ringleader of a major scam to defraud Post Bank, and the eight employees who helped him pull it off, received hefty prison sentences on Wednesday.
The High Court in Johannesburg found the nine guilty of defrauding the Post Bank, forgery and uttering, money laundering and stealing money from unsuspecting persons’ account as well as racketeering.
Isaac Dithlakanyane, 40, an enterprise owner and the ringleader, was sentenced to 50 years behind bars for colluding with the other eight Post Bank employees to open six fraudulent accounts and depositing fraudulent pension pay-outs and stolen cheques. Dithlakanyane stole R2.2m from the Post Bank, the Hawks said in a statement.
He was convicted on 76 counts.
Thabang Motaung, 39, who was the branch manager of Pinegowrie Post Office, was convicted for re-issuing Post Bank debit cards for the targeted accounts and withdrawing an amount totalling R574 700 from those accounts and depositing the money into Dithlakanyane’s bank account.
"For his part in the syndicate he will spend 28 years staring at prison walls," spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said.
"A Post Bank teller at Saxonworld Post Office, Holysnworth Mkhwane, 39, was also sentenced to 28 years imprisonment for his role in withdrawing an amount of R304 450 from accounts targeted by the syndicate."
Mkhwane's sister Sylvia Kedibone Mkhwane, 40, was convicted on five counts and sentenced to 30 years in jail for authorising the withdrawal and withdrawing a cash amount of R467 250 from targeted accounts. She was manager of the North Riding Post Office at the time.
Mulaudzi said a Post Bank teller at Gardenview Post Office, Laura Kunene, 49, was found guilty on 12 counts of withdrawing an amount of R530 270 from victim’s accounts and depositing the money in Dithlakanyane’s bank account. She was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
Vuyokazi Mcence, 38, a Post Bank teller at Randburg, was found guilty on four counts of withdrawing R248 600 from accounts, earning her a 28 year jail sentence.
Alexandra Post Office bank teller Jack Lesetja Kekana, 38, will serve 28 years in jail after being convicted on 12 counts for fraudulently withdrawing an amount of R532 550 from the victims' accounts.
Hillbrow Post Office manager Karabo Louis Molefe, 40, was found guilty on 13 counts. He fraudulently opened two Post Bank accounts, collected identity copies of account holders, whose accounts had large amounts of money, thus identifying accounts to be targeted. He was also found to have withdrawn R945 769.34 from targeted accounts. He also deposited money into Dithlakanyane’s bank account.
Thabo Bradley Makaneta, 49, played a part in the forgery of documents and was found guilty on 47 accounts. He stole an amount of R860 450 and was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment, Mulaudzi said.
'Historic sentencing'
The Acting Head of the Hawks, Major General Mthandazo Ntlemeza, praised the investigating team for the "historic" sentencing.
“It was a seven-year-long intensive investigation and the fact that it was spread in three provinces - Gauteng, Free State and North West - made it a mammoth task, but our dedicated investigating team pulled out all stops to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“This group was involved in a scam to make money from stealing from innocent people. They thought they could beat the system by continuing with their criminal activity. But an extensive investigation by Organised Crime Unit detectives picked its way through the trail to uncover a criminal enterprise.
"It’s worth noting the involvement of the Postbank Fraud Unit who played an integral part in the investigation."
Ntlemeza said the sentences should send a stern warning to other fraudsters that their days were numbered.
"We are on their trail and it is just a matter of time before their reign of terror is abruptly brought to a halt.”
