Seshego man sentenced for forging insurance forms

POLOKWANE – The Polokwane Magistrate’s Court, on Monday (August 26), sentenced Seshego Zone 4 resident Matome Jack Senatla (47) to two years imprisonment or a R5000 fine for forgery and uttering against the SAPS.

Senatla was arrested on July 4 after voluntarily surrendering himself to the Polokwane Police. He is said to have fraudulently obtained a considerable sum of money for providing security and insurance services at the Seshego AFM Youth Conference in May 2024.

Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said Senatla fraudulently submitted liability insurance forms at the SAPS Provincial Joint Operational Center in Ladine, Polokwane, regarding the Seshego AFM Youth Conference.

“The suspect forged an insurance certificate representing the underwriter, a Liability Insurance Company entrusted with overseeing significant events sanctioned by the leading general insurer. Subsequent scrutiny post-event revealed discrepancies in the information provided, raising suspicions about the authenticity of the registered company. A senior police officer suspected the forms might be fraudulent and verified with the insurance company, which denied any involvement,” his statement explained.

Ledwaba said the matter was reported to the Westenburg Police Station and a case was opened and later escalated to the Provincial Commercial Crime Investigation Unit for thorough investigation.

“The case was investigated by Detective Warrant Officer Puffy Thomas Maluleke, attached to the unit, who revealed that the documents were indeed fraudulent. Despite the suspect claiming he received the documents from an unknown person, the evidence led him to plead guilty,” Ledwaba said.

Half of Senatla’s sentence has been suspended for two years.

The provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe welcomed the sentence, stating that it serves as a deterrent to would-be scammers and that SAPS will not be victimised.