An Eastern Cape woman has appeared in the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on charges of allegedly attempting to defraud the Road Accident Fund (RAF) of approximately R986,300.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), through the Mthatha Serious Commercial Crime Investigation (SCCI), said the matter came to light after discrepancies were identified in the claim and referred for further investigation.
It is alleged that 38-year-old Ntombizandile Mda submitted a fraudulent RAF claim following a fatal accident in which a pedestrian was struck by a motor vehicle on the R411 near Viedgesville in Mthatha on 4 March 2023 and died at the scene.
The Hawks said the alleged fraud was detected after the Road Accident Fund identified inconsistencies in the claim and referred the matter to investigators.
“Subsequent to the accident, the accused allegedly submitted a fraudulent claim to the Road Accident Fund in respect of the deceased.
The alleged fraud was detected after the RAF identified discrepancies in the claim and referred the matter to the Hawks for further investigation,” said the Hawks.
Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said a thorough investigation by the Hawks confirmed allegations of fraud.
Mda appeared before the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday, 25 June 2026, after being served with a summons by the Hawks.
“Investigations further revealed that the accused allegedly attempted to exploit the death of her brother by falsely presenting herself as his surviving spouse and claiming that they had two minor children together.
It is further alleged that she falsely claimed to have paid for the deceased’s funeral expenses and sought compensation for loss of support,” said Mhlakuvana.
As a result of the alleged fraudulent claim, the Road Accident Fund narrowly avoided a potential loss of approximately R986,300 after the claim was rejected.
Following the investigation, Mhlakuvana said the accused was released on warning and the matter was postponed to 14 July 2026 for disclosure of the docket contents.
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Hope Ntanzi
iol.co.za