Johannesburg - A Mpumalanga woman has been convicted of fraud by the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sitting in Polokwane.
Annelize Holtzhausen, a mother of two, was employed as a financial administration manager at Zandspruit Homeowners Association NPC situated in Hoedspruit.
She worked at the company for seven months between January 28, 2019, and October 24, 2019.
She was found guilty of 185 counts of theft totalling an amount of R1.6 million.
She was responsible for paying the service providers for services rendered to the company.
Hawks spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke said: “She created fictitious claims and transferred the money into her own bank account as well as her husband’s accounts.”
Her fraudulent claims were for maintenance and repairs.
Her fraudulent activities were discovered when the company was audited and it came to light that no services were actually rendered.
A case of fraud was opened against her immediately after the theft was discovered. The case was referred to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit for further investigation.
Holtzhausen made her first appearance on February 25, 2021, in the Hoedspruit Periodical Court and was granted R5 000 bail.
Maluleke welcomed the conviction of Holtzhausen and stated that Holtzhausen would appear in court on June 20, 2022, for sentencing.
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