Polokwane woman arrested for withdrawing job seekers’ TERS
The woman is said to have personally benefited from over R72k after applying for TERS for five people who never worked for her.
POLOKWANE – A company director (35) from Polokwane will appear before the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court today on a charge of fraud.
The woman was arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit last Friday (October 18) after an investigation by the Specialised Investigation Unit (SIU).
“The suspect promised five desperate job seekers employment at her company. She took their personal details, including identity documents and other certificates,” Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa explained.
Mmuroa says in April 2020, in her capacity as director of her company, the woman applied for Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) funds for the five job seekers, indicating that they were her employees.
“The application was processed and approved. An amount of R72 494.10 was deposited into her company bank account by the Unemployment Insurance Fund. The suspect used claimed funds for her own benefit,” he said.
The SIU investigated the matter and established that none of the five people worked for the suspect and that they were not aware of the claims made in their name.
“The matter was transferred to the Hawks for further handling and the suspect was traced and arrested.”
The provincial Hawks head Major General (Adv) Gopz Govender welcomed the arrest of the suspect.
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