Mantladi Jo-Anne Mmela (43), a former attorney, was convicted on four counts of theft by the Mpumalanga Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sitting in Middelburg.

The accused was practising as a sole practitioner for Mmela Attorneys when the crimes were committed between June 2019 and March 2022.

Mmela lodged claims against the Road Accident Fund (RAF) on behalf of her clients, which were subsequently paid out. The money was paid by the RAF into the trust account of Mmela Incorporated Attorneys for the benefit of its clients, totalling an amount of over R4.1m.

The incident came to light after one of the victims reported that Mmela failed to pay her.

An investigation ensued and led to the arrest of Mmela in 2022.

She was granted bail but absconded, resulting in a warrant of arrest being issued.
Mmela was re-arrested in February 2024 and has been in custody since then.

During the trial, Mmela pleaded not guilty, and Senior State Advocate Henry Nxumalo presented evidence from the witnesses to prove the allegations levelled against her.

Mmela was convicted on four counts of theft, and the matter was postponed to August 21 for sentencing in the same court.

Read more about Mmela’s case development

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