The Vanderbijlpark magistrate’s court has denied bail to a woman accused of being part of a scheme that defrauded the Emfuleni local municipality.
Janitha van Reenen Coetzee, who is accused of stealing about R424,000, appeared in court on Monday, where she was denied bail after the court agreed with the state that she was not a suitable candidate for bail, as she might evade trial.
According to NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, 25-year-old Coetzee tricked local residents by pretending to be an independent agent.
She allegedly promised she could get them discounts on their outstanding municipal bills
Prosecutor Moses Raditsela opposed her release, arguing that Coetzee was a flight risk because the police could not verify her home address.
The state also argued that she might interfere with witnesses if released.
According to Mahanjana, magistrate Thizwilondi Mamburu agreed with the prosecution, ruling that releasing Coetzee would not be in the interest of justice.
Mahanjana said victims gave her money to settle their bills at a discounted rate, but Coetzee kept the cash instead of paying the municipality.
“At the same time, Coetzee allegedly submitted false claims to the municipality on behalf of these residents. The municipality ended up paying out roughly R424,000, which Coetzee allegedly pocketed instead of giving it to the intended residents.”
The scheme was discovered by the municipality’s former financial officer, Martha Mani Rantsofu, who was gunned down in March this year, shortly after she arrived at a tyre fitment centre.
According to Mahanjana, Rantsofu noticed the suspicious claims and flagged them to her manager.
“An internal investigation followed, and the municipality reported the case to the police,” said Mahanjana.
The case has been postponed to June 23 for further police investigation.
TimesLIVE
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