A former senior manager of a popular funeral parlour has appeared in court after being arrested for fraud.
This was confirmed by the National Prosecuting Authority, stating that Ponatsego Anna Ngwenya (45), from Soshanguve, a former general manager at Royal Funerals, appeared before the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on charges of fraud exceeding R500 000. Ngwenya was granted bail of R30 000.
The Pretoria-based Royal Funerals, according to the company’s website, has over 50 branches nationwide and generates income by selling funeral plans, caskets and coffins. The company, with about 500 employees, also does cremations and repatriates bodies.
“It is alleged that during her employment at Royal Funerals, Ngwenya defrauded the company by instructing clients to make funeral policy payments directly into her personal bank account. In some instances, she allegedly collected cash payments from clients, claiming that the company’s payment system was offline,” said NPA regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.
“The alleged fraud came to light when the company identified that several client policies had lapsed. Upon contacting affected clients to address the lapses, the company was informed that payments had been made directly to Ngwenya. The matter was subsequently reported to the police, and following an investigation, Ngwenya was arrested on 15 April 2026.
“During her court appearance, the State did not oppose bail, as she was not considered a flight risk. The case has been postponed to 09 June 2026 for further investigations,” said Mahanjana.
She added that the NPA remains committed to prosecuting fraud and protecting the public from financial exploitation.
- Ponatsego Anna Ngwenya, former general manager at Royal Funerals, was arrested and charged with fraud exceeding R500,000.
- She allegedly instructed clients to pay funeral policy fees into her personal bank account and collected cash payments falsely claiming the payment system was offline.
- Royal Funerals discovered the fraud after noticing several client policies had lapsed and clients confirmed payments were made to Ngwenya.
- Ngwenya appeared in Pretoria Magistrates’ Court, was granted R30,000 bail, and the case was postponed to June 9, 2026, for further investigation.
- The National Prosecuting Authority emphasized their commitment to prosecuting fraud and protecting the public from financial exploitation.
A former senior manager of a popular funeral parlour has appeared in court after being arrested for fraud.
"It is alleged that during her employment at Royal Funerals,
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