R260 million theft: Sassa officials and Ethiopian national in court for grand looting

Eleven people linked to the grand theft at the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) are on Tuesday expected to appear in court, facing charges including fraud in the R260 million grant scheme.

Five of the 11 accused, who are Sassa officials, made their initial court appearance last month before the Lenasia Magistrate's Court , where their charges escalated to over 1,300 counts of cybercrime, fraud, and theft.

The five implicated Sassa officials who appeared in court on March 17 were named as Phumelele Myeza, 37, Paul Bones, 49, Keamogetswe Irene Ledwaba, 49, Siphesihle Phumzile Dlamini, 30, and Phiwe Mkhuzangwe, 37.

Bones, Dlamini, and Mkhuzangwe were arrested within a Sassa branch in Johannesburg on March 14, while Ledwaba was taken into custody at her residence in Soweto. Myeza surrendered to the authorities voluntarily. 

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Gauteng spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Phindi Mjonondwane confirmed at the time that another Sassa employee also surrendered to law enforcement, bringing the total number of arrested individuals to 11. The group of arrested individuals includes eight Sassa employees, who worked with outsiders and allegedly defrauding the agency of R260 million.

Some of the accused people who had been previously arrested include Shumani Khwerana, 35, Nkhensani Sharon Maluleke, 28, Tshilidzi Ramaphosa, 34, and Ethiopian national Ebenezer Tilahyn, 29.

The arrests were a result of a meticulous investigation, which revealed that the suspects had been withdrawing large amounts of cash from over 150 fraudulent Sassa and bank cards at a Shoprite supermarket in Soweto in February.

Mjonondwane said the suspects allegedly created fictitious Sassa accounts, allowing them to withdraw funds illicitly from various supermarkets across Gauteng.

She added that the NPA will oppose the accused people's bail application.

IOL