A former official with the Road Accident Fund (RAF) who solicited a bribe of half a million rand has been sentenced to an effective 10 years behind bars.
Nobuhle Magwaza, 45, was sentenced in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Monday.
According to the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (known as the Hawks), Magwaza was employed as a claims and legal officer during the period of November 2019.
“During the course of her work she demanded R500,000 gratification from the claimant,” explained KZN Hawks spokesperson, Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo.
“She requested R50,000 to be paid in cash, while the balance of R450,000 was to be deposited into her bank account once the claim is finalised.”
The Hawks said Magwaza solicited the gratification from the claimant so that she could fast-track the processing and authorisation of a R2.7 million claim which was due to the claimant.
“A case of corruption was reported to the Hawks members from Durban Serious Corruption Investigation and an undercover operation was conducted.”
The Hawks said Magwaza was arrested in February 2020 and she was released on bail.
Magwaza was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, of which two years is suspended for five years.
“Thus, Magwaza will serve 10 years direct imprisonment.”
The KwaZulu-Natal head of the Hawks, Major General Lesetja Senona, welcomed the sentence and applauded the members for the good work.
Earlier this year, the RAF described fraud as being endemic within the organisation.
The RAF said R2.6 billion’s worth of fraudulent claims were stopped over the last three financial years after they were lodged for compensation.
“Perpetrators such as doctors, attorneys, RAF employees, road accident victims, and employees of corporate companies who have access to road crash information, will continue to be arrested and prosecuted,” The RAF said.
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