Key Points
- Pretoria High Court granted a forfeiture order for R1.8 million swindled from Colliery Dust Control.
- Fraudulent scheme began when an employee received a fake letter redirecting company funds.
- Mokhabokhi’s account was blocked, and the AFU secured a preservation order for the funds.
The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ordered the forfeiture of over R1.8 million swindled from Colliery Dust Control (Pty) Ltd, a manufacturing company.
The fraudster, Rodney Mokhabokhi, received the funds in his Absa bank account and is now under investigation.
Fraudulent Scheme Uncovered
The fraud began in June 2024 when the Managing Director of Colliery Dust Control received a letter that appeared to be from one of their legitimate service providers, Transvaal Electric Motors.
The letter requested future payments be made to Mokhabokhi’s bank account. The company mistakenly transferred more than R1.8 million to the account.
However, Transvaal Electric Motors confirmed it had not issued the letter and had not changed its banking details.
Upon realizing the fraud, Colliery Dust Control reported the incident to the police, who escalated the case to the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC).
Legal Action and Forfeiture
Authorities blocked Mokhabokhi’s Absa account after they discovered the fraud. The Pretoria Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) stepped in and applied for a preservation order in August 2024.
In March 2025, the court granted the forfeiture order. The next step is to ensure the return of the forfeited funds to Colliery Dust Control, as stated by Lumka Mahanjana, regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Gauteng.
The case will continue, with the matter set to return to the Springs Magistrate’s Court on April 15, 2025.
