A prominent medical practitioner, 47-year-old Nomthunzi Magida, has been found guilty in a tax evasion case.
Magida was sentenced by the Mthatha magistrate’s court on Wednesday following a dramatic investigation conducted by the National Prosecuting Authority and the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation unit in February.
The Hawks spokesperson in the Eastern Cape, Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, stated that the doctor from Komani appeared in court the same day she was arrested in February and was released on a warning.
She did not, however, show up for her trial until her arrest warrant was recently approved. “Thereafter, the accused ultimately handed herself over to the police,” said Mhlakuvana.
She was found guilty of wilfully and illegally neglecting to file her tax returns with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) between 2021 and 2023.
Despite SARS’s constant reminders, she deliberately disregarded them.
“Therefore, during auditing, SARS picked up discrepancies and thus lodged a complaint with the Hawks for investigation.
Prison term suspended for three years
Magida appeared in court multiple times prior to her sentencing, where she entered a guilty plea and was given a fine of R4 000 or two years in prison, totally suspended for three years provided she is not found guilty of the same crime during that time.
Recently, the province has seen incidents involving the healthcare system or medical doctors.
A man was arrested for posing as a doctor at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha in April.
A nurse sounded the alarm, and hospital security detained the man, according to the provincial department of health.
When a nurse saw him at the hospital, she reported him because she had seen him on social media pretending to be a teacher.
The man had two stethoscopes around his neck and was wearing a white coat. Additionally, prior to being caught and held at Level 4, he had visited the surgical ward at Level 5.
READ MORE: Eastern Cape man nabbed impersonating medical doctor
