A 32-year-old man, Dumisane Maluleka, has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for multiple counts of fraud and cybercrime, following a string of offences involving cloned fuel cards.

Maluleka is expected to serve 12 years in prison after the Witbank Magistrate’s Court handed down its judgment on Monday, August 25.

Maluleka’s criminal activities first came to light in May 2023 when he was arrested for using a cloned fleet card to purchase fuel. After being released on bail on May 31 that year, he reoffended in July, again using a counterfeit fuel card.

After his second arrest by the Ogies detectives, the case was escalated to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit in Middelburg. Despite three separate bail applications, all were successfully opposed by the Hawks, keeping Maluleka in custody until sentencing.

The court found Maluleka guilty on two counts of fraud and two counts of cybercrime. He received five years for each of the fraud charges, and two and three years for each cybercrime charge.

“One of the five-year sentences will run concurrently with a three-year cybercrime sentence, resulting in a total effective sentence of 12 years. Therefore, he is expected to serve 12 years behind bars,” said Mpumalanga Hawks Provincial Spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi.

Brigadier Bruce Davenport, Acting Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, praised the collaboration between Ogies SAPS detectives and the Hawks.

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