Charges of fraud, theft, and money laundering have been brought against Nicole Bekker (37), the former general manager of Gqeberha Acres Spar, and Chantelle Erasmus (48), the former bookkeeper for the grocery store.
Following their arrests, Bekker and Erasmus made an appearance before the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday.
From 2021 to 2023, they allegedly planned and stole R2.3-million in cash from the grocery store.
One of their daily responsibilities was to keep track of cash and deposit it into the company’s bank account on a regular basis.
However, Bekker and Erasmus allegedly divided the money into installments for their own gain rather than depositing it into the business’s bank account.
Out on R5 000 bail each
The Hawks told the court on the day of their court appearance that the suspects would sometimes allegedly direct someone else to deposit money into the same account [their account].
“During auditing, discrepancies were picked up, and the matter was referred to the Hawks for intensive investigation,” said Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana.
“Investigations confirmed the allegations that the suspects connived intending to steal from the store; as a result, Spar was actually prejudiced in cash to the amount of R2.3-million.”
They were released on R5 000 bail each following their court appearance, and the case was remanded until June 17 so that the defence could receive copies of the docket.
The arrest was welcomed by Brigadier Romeo Fredrick Petrus, the Hawks’ acting provincial head.
Funds meant for students’ bursaries stolen
There have been previous instances of employees embezzling millions of rands from a large corporation.
In 2024, a 32-year-old KPMG bursary specialist was arrested for theft, fraud, and money laundering.
Fidelis Moema turned himself in to the Johannesburg-based Hawks’ serious commercial crimes investigation team.
It was disclosed in court that Moema began embezzling funds from KPMG in 2021 and 2022. He misappropriated funds intended for recipients of bursaries.
The accused would deposit the money into the bank accounts of friends and business owners rather than paying university fees on behalf of students.
After that, the funds would be returned to his personal bank account. Because of his dishonest behaviour, KPMG lost R16.5-million.
