A couple were sentenced in the Colesberg Regional Court this week after being found guilty of defrauding the Umsobomvu Municipality out of R2.4 million.
A COUPLE were sentenced in the Colesberg Regional Court this week after being found guilty of defrauding the Umsobomvu Municipality out of R2.4 million.
Hawks provincial spokesperson Tebogo Thebe said one of the accused, Sivuyile Stali, 40, was employed as a chief clerk at the municipality and was responsible for salaries.
“He misused his position to defraud the municipality to transfer municipal funds into his personal account and into that of his wife, Vivian Stali, 31.
“The accused were convicted on 262 counts of fraud, theft and money laundering on August 8.”
Sivuyile was sentenced to six years imprisonment while his wife was sentenced to three years of correctional supervision. “This entails house arrest and 16 hours per month of community service.”
Thebe indicated that the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team and the National Director of Public Prosecutions’ Asset Forfeiture Unit had earlier secured a recovery order amounting to R364,753.03.
“The court ordered the South African Local Authority Fund to pay the order amount from Sivuyile’s pension savings. The confiscation order was made in line with the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. ”
He added that Sivuyile was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major-General Stephen Mabuela, congratulated the investigation team for working together to secure the conviction.
