This week, our story took place at the South Gauteng High Court. We have nine convicted fraudsters who defrauded Postbank through money laundering, forgery, uttering, and stealing money from the accounts of individuals, as well as racketeering.
We have the enterprise owner and ringleader of this criminal enterprise, Isaac Tebogo Ditlhakanyane (50). Eight Postbank employees were used as “agents.” In this case, as agents, their responsibilities were to identify bank accounts they could steal from, and once the accounts had a sufficient credit balance, they would forward the information to Isaac. The agents opened six fraudulent accounts, and they would then deposit fraudulent “pension payouts and stolen cheques.”
Isaac was the central figure in obtaining several documents (namely forged identification documents). These were either South African passports, IDs, or false bank cards. Haibo! Isaac worked with an individual (a runner) who was prepared to claim to be the account holder of the targeted account under false pretenses. The runner would then present false documents to the Post Office Bank in order to access funds from genuine accounts.
Cell phone data showed the court that Isaac communicated specifically with the Postbank employees who were part of the scheme to ensure the disputed transactions were processed. “Isaac stole an amount of R2.2 million from Postbank. He was convicted on 76 counts.”
Karabo Louis Molefe (50) was the branch manager at Hillbrow Post Office. He “fraudulently opened two Postbank accounts, collecting identity copies of account holders whose accounts had large amounts of money.” He withdrew an amount of R945 769.34 from the targeted accounts. He also deposited money into Isaac’s bank account. Hebanna!
Laura Kunene (59) was a Postbank teller at Gardenview Post Office. She withdrew an amount of R530 270 from unsuspecting victims’ accounts and then deposited the money into Isaac’s bank account. “For her role in the syndicate’s modus operandi, she was sentenced to 28 years behind bars.”
Thabang Motaung (49) was the branch manager of Pinegowrie Post Office. He re-issued Postbank debit cards for the accounts they identified with sufficient credit balances and withdrew an amount totalling R574 700 from those accounts, depositing the money into Isaac’s bank account. Hau! “For his part in the syndicate, he will spend 28 years staring at prison walls.”
Jack Lesetja Kekana (48) was a Postbank teller at Alexandra Post Office who fraudulently withdrew an amount of R532 550 from the targeted accounts. He was convicted on 12 counts and will “spend 28 years in jail.”
Holysnworth Mkhwane (49) was a Postbank teller at Saxonworld Post Office. His role in the syndicate involved withdrawing an amount of R304 450 from the targeted accounts. He “was also sentenced to 28 years’ imprisonment.”
Sylvia Kedibone Mkhwane (50), a sister to Holysnworth Mkhwane, was the branch manager of the North Riding Post Office. She authorised the withdrawal of R467 250 from the targeted accounts. “She was convicted on five counts and subsequently sentenced to 30 years behind bars.”
Vuyokazi Mcence (48) was a Postbank teller at Randburg. She withdrew an amount of R248 600 from the accounts targeted by the fraudsters. For her role, “she will be facing prison walls for the next 28 years.”
Thabo Bradley Makaneta (59) played a role in forging documents and stole an amount of R860 450. He was found guilty on 47 counts and “sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment.”
DISCLAIMER! This content is for educational and informational purposes based on publicly available information.
Source: SAFLII