SIX YEARS IN JAIL FOR DEFRAUDING LOCAL MUNICIPALITY
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The Zeerust Regional Court has sentenced a 47-year-old Kealeboga Coldridge Mongae to 6 years imprisonment for defrauding the Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality a sum of over R1milliion.
Henry Mamothame, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in the North West, says Mongae’s judgement of guilt comes from an incident on 16 May 2012 whereby he collected two cheques from the municipality for a service he did not render.
Before being summoned to appear in court on 29 April 2021, the municipality had to pay the same amount to the service providers he defrauded.
She says the court granted him R20 000 bail before the commencement of the trial.
In passing sentence, Magistrate James Mothibi alluded to the rifeness of fraud in the country and found that a wholly suspended sentence to give him a further chance to repay the money after he failed to do so in nine years, will not send a clear message to communities that courts take the commissioning of fraud seriously.
Furthermore the Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari-Sekhaolelo has praised the corroborated effort by the police and the prosecution that led to a conviction.
