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A Mpumalanga couple accused of stealing over R26m from the Covid-19 employee relief fund by allegedly claiming money for more than 700 ghost workers has been granted bail of R300,000 each by the Middelburg magistrate’s court.
Gladness Msiska, her husband Fumu Mkalira Cifu Msiska, and Gladness’s brother Bongani Zoren Mkhonto appeared in court on Monday facing fraud charges linked to the Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) and UIF scheme.
Mkhonto was released on R3,000 bail. The matter was postponed to July 20 for further investigations.
Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Col Magonseni Nkosi said the trio allegedly preyed on unemployed people by promising them jobs, only to use their identity particulars to fraudulently apply for Covid-19 employee relief funds.
Nkosi said investigations revealed that the company, A and F Consulting, allegedly unlawfully benefited from the scheme by claiming funds for more than 700 ghost employees and former workers.
“The main suspect, who is a director of a construction company, allegedly unduly benefited from the Covid-19 TERS administered through the UIF, resulting in an actual loss of R26.9m to the UIF,” said Nkosi.
[...] the brother-in-law played a significant role in recruiting individuals under false promises of employment.
— Col Magonseni Nkosi
Nkosi added that Makhonto allegedly approached unsuspecting victims as a recruiter who then gave him their documents that would later be used to claim the funds.
“It is further alleged that the brother-in-law played a significant role in recruiting individuals under false promises of employment. Some of the identification particulars used in the claims allegedly belonged to former employees of the company,” he said.
The Hawks said the trio handed themselves over to its serious corruption investigation unit in Mbombela on Sunday following a lengthy joint investigation involving the Hawks, the Special Investigating Unit, the UIF and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU).
Monica Nyuswa, spokesperson for the NPA in Mpumalanga, said investigations revealed that the funds were allegedly used to acquire movable and immovable assets valued at over R31m.
“These assets reportedly include a fleet of vehicles and funds linked to the suspects’ bank accounts. Criminal investigations into the matter are ongoing.”
According to Nkosi, investigations started in 2022 after authorities uncovered suspicious claims linked to the company during Covid-19 relief fund payouts in 2020.
“During the investigation, the AFU froze bank accounts and seized several assets, including a Mercedes V-Class, Toyota Fortuner, Isuzu truck and a front-loader truck.”
Properties seized include a seven-room house in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, where each room was allegedly being rented out for R4,500 a month, a house in White River and a flat in Zwartkoppies, Pretoria.
The couple also lived a lavish lifestyle, with Gladness’s social media accounts featuring photographs of luxury vacations and high-end experiences.
In one post shared in July 2021 on Facebook, about a year after the company allegedly received the UIF funds, she posted a picture of an extravagant meal with the caption: “The Lord will prepare your table in front of your enemies.”
Her social media pages contain pictures of herself with prominent personalities, including controversial Malawian pastor and businessman Shepherd Bushiri as well as several holiday snapshots. In one picture, her husband is at the table with a few people and Lazarus Chakwera, the president of Malawi from 2020 to 2025.
Maj-Gen Nico Gerber, head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, said: “Working together as various law enforcement agencies will assist in ensuring justice is served for those affected by the ghost employee scheme.”
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