The NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit seized five vehicles and preserved three properties in Pretoria, Middelburg and White River belonging to suspects in a Covid-19 relief fraud case.
- Three people have appeared in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court on charges related to an alleged R26.9 million Covid-19 TERS fraud.
- A and F Consulting allegedly benefited unlawfully by claiming relief funds for more than 700 “ghost employees” in 2020.
- The NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit has frozen bank accounts, seized five vehicles, and preserved three properties.
Three people, including a Malawian-born South African resident and his wife, have appeared in court on charges related to an alleged R26.9 million Covid-19 relief fraud involving more than 700 “ghost employees”.
Fumu Mkalira Msiska, 48, his wife Gladness Msiska Mkhonto, 48, and brother-in-law Bongani Zoran Mkhonto, 39, appeared before the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges related to alleged fraud involving the Covid-19 Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (TERS).
The Msiska couple were each granted bail of R300 000, while Bongani Mkhonto was granted bail of R3 000.
The three handed themselves over to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation Unit in Nelspruit on Sunday following a lengthy joint investigation by the Hawks, the Special Investigating Unit, the Unemployment Insurance Fund, and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit.
According to the Hawks, investigations revealed that A and F Consulting allegedly benefited unlawfully from Covid-19 TERS by claiming funds for more than 700 ghost employees and former employees.
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The company reportedly received about just under R27 million through the scheme in 2020.
The funds were allegedly then transferred from A and F Consulting to Khulani Quality Contribution, a company linked to Gladness Msiska Mkhonto.
“The brother-in-law allegedly acted as a runner by sourcing identification particulars used to facilitate fraudulent claims involving ghost employees and former workers of the company,” said Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi.
The NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit seized five vehicles and preserved three properties located in Pretoria, Middelburg, and White River belonging to the accused group.
He said that during the investigation, the Asset Forfeiture Unit froze bank accounts and seized five vehicles.
Nkosi said:
In addition, three properties located in Pretoria, Middelburg, and White River were preserved, along with household goods and office equipment.
The case was postponed to 20 July 2026 for further investigation.
Major General Nico Gerber, the provincial head of Hawks in Mpumalanga, welcomed the court’s decision on bail and the conditions imposed on the accused.
“Working together as various law enforcement agencies will assist in ensuring justice is served for those affected by the ghost employee scheme,” Gerber said.
The case highlights the ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to recover funds allegedly stolen from Covid-19 relief programmes designed to help businesses and workers during the pandemic.
Noxolo Sibiya
www.news24.com
