A Mpumalanga father and his daughter are among four people who sought to steal R5.3-million from the SA Revenue Service (SARS) from as far back as 2015.
The accused are alleged to have filed fraudulent tax returns between 2015 and 2017 in a calculated attempt to defraud the taxman of millions of rands.
The accused — Sigegede Aaron Mathebula, 68, his daughter Silindile Pearl Mathebula, 42, Bongani Mkhatshwa, 41, and MPM Shutterhands Construction CC — face charges of tax fraud.
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While SARS successfully blocked a fraudulent claim of R5.3-million, the group allegedly managed to syphon off R990 000 in false value-added tax (VAT) refunds, which has led to their current legal woes.
The case, which has only now come to light after years of investigations, was heard at the Nelspruit magistrate’s court, where the accused were granted bail.
Hawks spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Captain Lucy Dineo Sekgotodi, outlined the extent of the alleged fraud and the ongoing probe into the matter.
Fraudulent VAT claims
“The accused submitted fraudulent VAT claims for R5.3-million, but SARS managed to block the payout before the funds were released,” Sekgotodi stated.
“However, they did manage to defraud SARS of R990 000 during this period, which was shared among them.”
Sekgotodi praised the investigative efforts of the Hawks that finally brought the alleged perpetrators to face justice after years of avoiding detection.
“Their activities went unnoticed for years, but through our investigation, we’ve brought them to face the consequences,” she said.
With the case now postponed to November 13, the investigation is still ongoing.
“This is just the beginning, and we’re committed to fully exposing the depth of this fraudulent operation,” added Sekgotodi.
All four accused were released on bail ranging from R1 000 and R2 000, with more developments expected as the investigation continues.
