An Eastern Cape businessman has called for the harshest possible sentence for his former employee who has been found guilty of stealing more than R1m from his business.
Testifying in sentencing proceedings in the Zwelitsha regional court, Kevin Schroeder, the director of manufacturing company Beck Trading, said the company had suffered financial losses as the result of the theft by its driver, Errol Cijster.
Cijster, who was employed by the company from July 2020 to August 2021, pleaded not guilty to charges of theft and fraud.
According to the state’s case, Cijster, who doubled as the company’s and Schroeder’s personal driver, stole goods from the company on various occasions and sold them below the company’s prices.
The state states further that Cijster, who is out on warning, submitted fraudulent duplicate tax invoices at the company’s head office in Berea, East London, while submitting the original invoices at the factory in Dimbaza for claims pertaining to fuel.
Listed among the items he stole are freezer vests and jackets, crew neck T-shirts, windbreakers, fleece jackets, body warmers, a laptop and camera.
They are valued at more than R1.3m in total.
Schroeder testified on Monday that the theft prejudiced the company.
Schroeder read out a victim impact statement in which he said Cijster had betrayed his and the company’s trust.
He said the company employed 500 people.
“Errol was in a position of trust in the company and made deliveries of stock worth thousands of rand, and as my personal driver.
“I trusted him to a point where he stayed at my personal home.
“Instead of repaying the trust we put in him with loyalty and hard work, he chose to steal from the company.
“The clothing industry in SA has been decimated by cheap Chinese imports and there have been 256,000 jobs lost in the industry in the last 10 years.
“Beck operates in this very challenging macro environment and has limped along holding on and providing employment in Dimbaza.
“Our business is the last factory operating in Dimbaza where historically 26,000 people were employed.
“Dimbaza has an unemployment rate of 78%.
“Errol’s theft put the business under huge financial strain, causing us to downsize the business by 200 employees ...
“This selfish act put the livelihoods of all employees and their families in jeopardy.
“There are 4,000 who rely on our factory to eat and go to school.”
Schroeder said the business also supported smaller businesses in Dimbaza and surrounding areas.
He said his former employee did not show remorse.
“Given the devastating financial and personal impact which nearly brought this business to its knees and destroying the livelihoods of 500 families, plus a clear pattern of criminality and the breaking of the trust, we believe that Errol should be sentenced to the maximum possible.”
During cross-examination, Schroeder said they become aware of the theft when an employee, Jackie Marshall, brought the financial state of the company to him.
He said fuel charges were R10,000 above normal. He said he also noticed stock was missing.
Some of it was recovered.
Cijster, who also took to the stand in his defence, said that on several occasions he had apologised to Schroeder.
“I don’t understand how he says I’m not remorseful,” Cijster said.
He said he co-operated with investigations, handing over his financial statements as well as his accomplices.
“I don’t know why others were not arrested,” Cijster said.
He said he also took the police to the storage unit where he kept the stolen items.
Under cross-examination by state prosecutor advocate Louis Sinclair, Cijster agreed that he was arrested red-handed with the stock belonging to the company.
He said he would not confirm or deny the company lost money as he was not in charge of its financials.
The case continues.
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