A 44-year-old Mpumalanga attorney has been sentenced to 10 years’ direct imprisonment for stealing R3.3m Road Accident Fund (RAF) money, which includes a R1.4m payout for a child who had been injured in a crash.
The Middelburg serious commercial crimes court handed down the sentence on Thursday, concluding a complex investigation that began with her arrest in September 2022.
Instead of transferring the funds to the child’s guardian, Mmela redirected the money to another individual’s account and falsely claimed to have paid the guardian.
— WO Thandi Tshabalala, Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson
According to Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson WO Thandi Tshabalala, a complaint had been laid against Jo-Anne Mantladi Mmela, who at the time practised under Mmela and Associates and had been appointed to assist with an RAF claim for a child.
“She submitted the claim, and once the RAF processed it, payments were made into her trust account. Instead of transferring the funds to the child’s guardian, Mmela redirected the money to another individual’s account and falsely claimed to have paid the guardian.
Mmela was arrested on September 20 2022, and appeared in the Middelburg magistrate’s court the next day, where she was granted R25,000 bail.
“The case was then postponed to December 5 2022 for further investigation, and that’s when the accused disappeared and failed to appear on the given date.
“[A] media statement was released on February 21 2024, requesting public assistance in locating the accused. The public assisted, and the accused was traced and arrested around Pretoria. She was denied bail and remanded in custody,” she said.
According to Tshabalala, while in custody, more victims who had been defrauded of R1.2m, R200,000 and R550,000 by Mmela also came forward, and their cases were joined with the child’s.
The head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga welcomed the sentence, commending the investigating team and applauding the National Prosecuting Authority for the outcome.
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