The sentencing of an Eastern Cape policeman and his co-accused who were convicted of coercing police officers to change an accident report so they could claim Road Accident Fund money has been postponed to June pending the submission of presentence reports.
Komga policeman Warrant Officer Mandlenkosi Njekanye, 50, and his accomplice, Xolani Somtsewu, 45, appeared briefly in the East London commercial crimes court where their case was due for sentencing.
However, their defence representative applied for a postponement pending presentence reports, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luxolo Tyali confirmed.
Tyali said they would be back in court on June 28 for presentencing proceedings.
They were convicted on March 24 for fraud and defeating the ends of justice relating to trying to make off with millions of rand in Road Accident Fund money.
They were arrested in November 2023 and released on bail of R500 each.
Provincial Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said the two were arrested by the East London Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation Unit on November 22 2023.
Somtsewu, driving a Nissan NP300 bakkie, was involved in a fatal accident on the N2 highway near Komga on December 31 2020 which claimed the life of a passenger.
“Somtsewu, on the other hand, sustained a broken arm and a few cuts and bruises.
“Police [were sent to] the scene.
“They attributed the accident to a burst tyre and an inquest docket was opened,” Mhlakuvana said.
He said a year after the incident, Somtsewu and Njekanye went to the Komga police station where they “instructed the officer on duty to change the accident report content to enable them to claim from the RAF”.
“The official initially refused, but was ultimately coerced, and the cause of the accident was changed to Somtsewu’s new version, where he claimed to have swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle.
“When the complaint was lodged, the RAF scrutinised the two statements and discovered the discrepancies.
“The RAF repudiated the claim, hence the matter was referred to the Hawks for probing.
“The investigations by the Hawks established that Njekanye and Somtsewu colluded in an attempt to claim for an accident by changing the accident report that would have prejudiced the RAF to a cash value of nearly R5m,” he said.
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) provincial secretary Xolani Prusente said: “We are for justice and condemn such incidents.
“As police, we are supposed to defend society and ensure that such incidents do not happen. It is shocking and embarrassing to hear a police officer is involved in such an incident.”
RAF spokesperson McIntosh Polela said: “The Road Accident Fund welcomes the guilty verdict. False claims drain the fund’s limited resources.”
Daily Dispatch
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