Hawks Nab Woman Over R100,000 Loan Fraud Case
A 42-year-old woman accused of defrauding a Limpopo mine of nearly R100,000 has been released on bail after appearing in the Gravelotte Magistrate’s Court. Rose Lekhanya, a former human resources executive at a mine in Gravelotte, was granted bail of R10,000 as her case was postponed to September for further investigation.
According to Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa, spokesperson for the Hawks in Limpopo, Lekhanya was arrested by the serious commercial crime unit based in Phalaborwa following an investigation into allegations of fraud committed in 2018.
It is alleged that while employed at the mine, Lekhanya approached her employer claiming her mother had been admitted to a private hospital. She allegedly presented supporting hospital documents to request financial assistance, citing an urgent need to cover medical expenses. The company granted her a loan totaling just over R99,000.
However, she allegedly failed to repay the money and later resigned from her position. An internal probe was launched by the mine, which later uncovered that Lekhanya’s mother had never been hospitalised. The documents she submitted were reportedly fake.
A criminal case was subsequently opened at the Gravelotte police station and later handed over to the Hawks for further investigation. The unit’s findings confirmed the documents were fraudulent, prompting the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to issue a warrant of arrest.
Lekhanya was traced and arrested in Honeydew, Gauteng, last week Thursday and appeared in court the following day. Her next court appearance is set for 15 September.
In a separate but related matter, authorities also revealed that Lekhanya applied for vehicle finance at WesBank in April 2023 to purchase a Ford Ranger Raptor valued at more than R1.3 million. It’s alleged she submitted a falsified payslip and bank statement as part of her application, which was subsequently approved.
Provincial Hawks head Major General Gopz Govender welcomed her arrest and urged employers to be cautious when verifying documents submitted by employees.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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