A bookkeeper who stole just over R11m from the Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) has been sentenced to an effective jail term of 20 years.
The Johannesburg specialised commercial crimes court, sitting in Palm Ridge, passed this sentence against Lindelani Pert Gumede, 38, on Thursday.
Gumede submitted fraudulent documents to claim the funds on behalf of four bakeries based in Gauteng during 2020. He had acted as a private consultant to the bakeries.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said Gumede was convicted on 32 counts of theft. She said the court sentenced him to 135 years but ordered some of the sentences to run concurrently, resulting in 20 years’ direct imprisonment.
She said Gumede created and submitted applications for employees on the Covid-19 Ters system, claiming that they were employed by companies that he rendered bookkeeping services for.
“This, even though these entities never submitted applications for temporary relief funds to the department of employment & labour,” Mjonondwane said.
The imposition of the national lockdown for a few months from March 2020, to curb the spread of Covid-19, meant some employers were unable to pay their employees as their businesses were closed.
The Ters funds were made available to employers — to pay their employees.
Pleading with the court not to deviate from imposing the minimum prescribed sentence, senior state advocate Frans Mhlongo argued the looting of these funds diverted money for much-needed assistance away from destitute citizens .
“The public needs to know that there are consequences for misappropriation and abuse of public coffers,” Mhlongo said.
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