Latest news with #FreeStateHawks
The South African
5 days ago
- The South African
Former Sibanye Stillwater Mine employee nabbed for fraud
A 40-year-old former employee of Sibanye Stillwater Mine, has been arrested by the Free State Hawks on allegations of fraud. The Welkom Hawks reported that the suspect was initially subpoenaed by the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation on 8 June 2025. 'He has been secured before court to answer to a charge of fraud,' said Free State Hawks spokesperson, Warrant Officer Fikiswa Matoti. According to Matoti, during the period of April 2021 and May 2021, the suspect allegedly committed fraud at the time. She said he allegedly used legitimate documents of one of the mine's service providers to create fraudulent quotations. The fake quotes allegedly cost Sibanye Stillwater Mine a loss of over R1 million. Matoti said this loss caused the mine to investigate what had happened to the funds and the investigation was assigned to a specific department. 'His fraudulent activities came to the attention of the Fraud and Corruption Unit of Sibanye Stillwater Mine,' said Matoti. Matoti said once the mine's Fraud and Corruption Unit had concluded their investigation, a criminal case was registered and referred to the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation in Welkom for a further probe. She said the prima facie evidence collected by the unit was enough to convince the court to issue a summons, which led to the arrest of the suspect. The man is set to make his first court appearance before the Theunissen Magistrates Court, on 22 July 2025. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Herald
23-04-2025
- The Herald
Boy, 14, found working at tuck shop with his earnings allegedly paid to cousin
The Hawks have arrested an Ethiopian shopkeeper and two Malawian nationals for allegedly trafficking a 14-year-old boy as a child labourer. One of the accused is the boy's 35 year old cousin, said Free State Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Zweli Mohobeleli. He said another suspect, aged 30, allegedly facilitated the employment of the minor by the shop owner, who is 39. Mohobeleli said home affairs officials and police were conducting an operation in Reddersburg on April 17. "At a tuck shop they found the victim was employed as a cleaner. The victim was earning R1,000 per month, allegedly paid to his cousin who is based in Bloemfontein." The shop owner was immediately arrested. The other two suspects were arrested by the Bloemfontein-based serious organised crime investigation team on Monday. The suspects made a brief court appearance in Reddersburg, facing human trafficking related charges. The matter was postponed to April 29 for bail application proceedings. TimesLIVE
TimesLIVE
23-04-2025
- TimesLIVE
Boy, 14, found working at tuck shop with his earnings allegedly paid to cousin
The Hawks have arrested an Ethiopian shopkeeper and two Malawian nationals for allegedly trafficking a 14-year-old boy as a child labourer. One of the accused is the boy's 35 year old cousin, said Free State Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Zweli Mohobeleli. He said another suspect, aged 30, allegedly facilitated the employment of the minor by the shop owner, who is 39. Mohobeleli said home affairs officials and police were conducting an operation in Reddersburg on April 17. "At a tuck shop they found the victim was employed as a cleaner. The victim was earning R1,000 per month, allegedly paid to his cousin who is based in Bloemfontein." The shop owner was immediately arrested. The other two suspects were arrested by the Bloemfontein-based serious organised crime investigation team on Monday. The suspects made a brief court appearance in Reddersburg, facing human trafficking related charges. The matter was postponed to April 29 for bail application proceedings.
