Durban — A husband and wife were arrested and appeared in a Durban court in connection with fraud.
Hawks spokesperson Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo said that on Wednesday, the Hawks members from Durban Serious Corruption Investigation arrested Thys Bekker, 57, and his wife, Irma Bekker, 53, for alleged fraud.
“They briefly appeared in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court and they were released on R5 000 bail each. The case was postponed to October 11, 2022,” Mhlongo said.
He said that it is alleged that between 2010 and 2015, Thys enticed people to invest in his business and promised them lucrative returns. He claimed that his company known as People’s Oil Tree was selling moringa trees for R50 each and investors would receive R500 after 12 months. More than R10 million was deposited into their various accounts.
Bekker allegedly failed to pay back his investors.
“A case of fraud was reported at Durban Central police station and the case docket was allocated to the Hawks for an intensive investigation. As a result they were arrested this morning (Wednesday),” Mhlongo said.
Meanwhile, Newcastle Municipality's former employer who defrauded the entity millions appeared at the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Tuesday.
Dedre van Rooyen manipulated the municipality’s payroll system and stole R3.1 million.
It is alleged that Van Rooyen had created a ‘ghost employee’ in order to pay herself a second salary between February 2012 and June this year through 88 transactions.
She was granted bail of R50 000 on October 22.
Daily News