Brown: Let's get the cash

Widow Nomfuneko Dayimane has spent the past six years of her life studying news reports to find the man she blames for all her suffering.

Dayimane, 46, a cleaner from Khayelitsha, said she can barely put food on the table and cannot afford to send her child to school because of Fidentia founder Arthur Brown.

Brown was found guilty on two counts of fraud last month in the Cape High Court after he admitted guilt to misrepresentations in two investments.

Yesterday, he was ordered to pay a fine of R150000 or spend 18 months in jail.

In 2007 Brown was arrested on more than 190 charges, including fraud, theft and corruption.

More than R1-billion allegedly vanished from Living Hands Trust, which was controlled by Fidentia.

The trust made monthly payments to 50000 widows and orphans of mineworkers.

Dayimane's husband was a mineworker in Johannesburg. After his death in 2003, she received R250 a month to support his two children. The payments stopped in 2007 - without explanation until she learnt of Brown's case.

"I make copies of the [newspaper reports] and take them home every time to show my children what is happening with this man," said Dayimane.

She is not sure which company invested her money with Fidentia.

At one stage, she claimed it was the Living Hands Umbrella Trust.

"In February, I saw R1800 in my bank account and I thought maybe everything is back to normal.

"But then last month I called and they said they are only paying that amount. They said Brown did not give them all the money," said Dayimane.

Brown emerged from the court to a cheering crowd. Ironically, some of the cheering people had lost their investments.

"People that are supporting me here are the investors of Fidentia and now the fight starts in getting the money from the curators," said Brown.

He said he would pursue criminal charges against curators Dines Gihwala and George Papadakis and conduct forensic audits of the company's assets.

But first he has something even more important to do - see his children, who have moved to Australia with his ex-wife.

The National Prosecuting Authority's provincial spokesman, Eric Ntabazalila, said it would consider appealing the sentence.