KEY POINTS
- The Hawks arrested Nicole Bekker and Chantelle Erasmus for allegedly stealing R2.3 million from Gqeberha Spar.
- Between 2021 and 2023, the two misappropriated the daily shop cash.
- The court postponed the case to June 17 to allow the defense to receive copies of the docket.
Nicole Bekker, 37, the former general manager, and Chantelle Erasmus, 48, the former bookkeeper, allegedly stole R2.3 million.
Both Bekker and Erasmus face charges of fraud, theft, and money laundering related to the theft of the funds. The Gqeberha Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit carried out the arrests. They appeared in court the same day and received R5,000 bail each.
According to IOL, between 2021 and 2023, Bekker and Erasmus allegedly conspired to misappropriate the store’s daily cash.
One of their duties was to record the daily cash and regularly deposit it into the store’s business bank account. Instead of depositing the money, they pocketed it and shared it in various instalments.
In some instances, they reportedly instructed another person to deposit cash into the same account. An audit identified discrepancies, prompting further investigation.
Investigation and legal proceedings
The investigation confirmed that Bekker and Erasmus had conspired to steal the funds from the store, resulting in a loss of R2.3 million for Spar.
The case was postponed to June 17 to allow the defence to receive copies of the docket. The two suspects are facing charges of fraud, theft, and money laundering.
Acting provincial head of the Hawks, Brigadier Romeo Fredrick Petrus, welcomed the arrests and praised the Gqeberha team for their thorough investigation.
