A former employee of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) has been convicted on 242 counts of theft and has been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.

The 60-year-old female, who was charged and arrested for theft and fraud in August 2019, was employed by UJ as an accountant.

This is according to Brixton Police Station’s spokesperson Jeanette Backhoff, who said the matter was finalised in court in January 2022 with a guilty verdict.

She stated that an internal enquiry was received and the university opened a case in August 2019 which was handed over to Detective Constable Rhulani Silence Hobyani for investigation.

Backhoff added, “It was discovered that this offence was not a once-off incident but took place over a period of close to five years with a total of almost R10 million. This money was taken from different bank accounts and paid into a bogus account registered in the employee’s name.”

Hobyani followed up on all leads and collected all evidence against the accused which resulted in the guilty ruling and 15-year sentence after two years of investigations.

UJ spokesperson Herman Esterhuizen said the university welcomed the decision of the court and will continue to prosecute such offences in line with their fraud prevention policy. This includes preventing, detecting, investigating and reporting on fraud, corruption, and related acts of dishonesty or misconduct.

“UJ has a zero-tolerance approach to fraud, corruption, and related acts of dishonesty or misconduct. Through heightened awareness and internal controls, the university ensures the protection of its assets and its disbursement of public funds. In line with policy and legislation, the university reports acts of theft/fraud and works hand in hand with the relevant authorities by providing the necessary evidence as well as its full co-operation in the investigation of the alleged acts of theft/fraud.”

Brixton Police Station’s new Branch Commander Lieutenant Colonel Maseabatha Meriam Mosima applauded Detective Constable Hobyani for the successful investigation and the commitment of her detectives to leaving no stone unturned to collect evidence that leads to positive convictions.

“Brixton Police Station is there to ensure that the community is safe at all times but also to protect against theft. Theft from an employer is an aggravating factor and most people will see such crime as a white-collar crime but strong action needs to be taken and Constable Hobyani did just that.”