Female Fraudster Jailed 10 Years For R1 Million Municipal Fraud Scheme

A 33-year-old Northern Cape female fraudster, Simangele Sangweni, has been sentenced to 10 years of direct imprisonment by the Kimberley Specialised Commercial Crimes Court for masterminding a sophisticated banking scam that defrauded two municipalities of nearly R1 million.

The  fraudster’s company, Multi Quipment Pty Ltd, was also fined R100,000, though the sentence was wholly suspended.

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According to the Hawks (Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation), the fraudster, Sangweni was convicted on 17 counts of fraud, 25 counts of money laundering, and additional charges of forgery and uttering.

The sentence was delivered on April 10, concluding an investigation that revealed a calculated pattern of municipal fraud.

Municipalities Tricked By Fake Banking Details, Invoices

The fraudster perpetrated the scam, which took place between August and September 2021, involved Sangweni impersonating legitimate service providers to defraud Phokwane Municipality and Frances Baart District Municipality.

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Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe, spokesperson for the Hawks, said Sangweni submitted fraudulent letters and invoices claiming to be from Vaalharts Water, which led Phokwane Municipality to deposit R455,510 into her company’s account.

Just a month later, she replicated the scheme by impersonating Sedibeng Water, successfully convincing Frances Baart District Municipality to transfer R469,918.

The funds were directed to accounts controlled by Sangweni and her company, with no services rendered in return.

Conviction A Warning Against Financial Crime

The Provincial Head of the Hawks, Major General Steven Mabuela, have stated the conviction as a profound warning to financial crime.

“Criminality in any form must be confronted. This sentence should serve as a deterrent to those who think they can get away with defrauding public institutions,” Mabuela stated.

While Multi Quipment Pty Ltd received a R100,000 fine, it was wholly suspended, leaving Sangweni to face the full consequences of her actions behind bars.

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