"Company Director Arrested for Fraudulently Claiming R72,000 in Covid-19 Relief Funds"
A 35-year-old company director is set to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Monday, facing fraud charges related to the misuse of Covid-19 relief funds.
Limpopo Hawks spokesperson, Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa, confirmed the woman's arrest by the Polokwane-based Hawks serious commercial crime investigations unit on Friday.
According to Mmuroa, the woman allegedly promised five unemployed individuals jobs at her company, collecting their personal information, including ID documents and certificates. In April 2020, posing as the company's director, she applied for Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) funds through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) on behalf of the five, falsely claiming they were her employees.
The application was approved, and R72,494 was deposited into her company's account, which she used for personal gain.
Investigations by the Specialised Investigation Unit (SIU) revealed that none of the individuals had ever worked for the suspect, nor were they aware of the claims. The case was subsequently handed over to the Hawks, leading to her arrest.
Limpopo Hawks head, Major General Gopz Govender, welcomed the arrest and emphasized the ongoing efforts to hold accountable those who misused Covid-19 funds.
This case follows a similar conviction in 2022, where a husband and wife defrauded the UIF of over R10 million in Covid-19 Ters funds by falsely applying for 553 workers, when they only employed 22.
Limpopo Hawks spokesperson, Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa, confirmed the woman's arrest by the Polokwane-based Hawks serious commercial crime investigations unit on Friday.
According to Mmuroa, the woman allegedly promised five unemployed individuals jobs at her company, collecting their personal information, including ID documents and certificates. In April 2020, posing as the company's director, she applied for Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) funds through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) on behalf of the five, falsely claiming they were her employees.
The application was approved, and R72,494 was deposited into her company's account, which she used for personal gain.
Investigations by the Specialised Investigation Unit (SIU) revealed that none of the individuals had ever worked for the suspect, nor were they aware of the claims. The case was subsequently handed over to the Hawks, leading to her arrest.
Limpopo Hawks head, Major General Gopz Govender, welcomed the arrest and emphasized the ongoing efforts to hold accountable those who misused Covid-19 funds.
This case follows a similar conviction in 2022, where a husband and wife defrauded the UIF of over R10 million in Covid-19 Ters funds by falsely applying for 553 workers, when they only employed 22.
