An Eastern Cape woman who defrauded Old Mutual has been fined 10 times more that she stole from them. Failure to do will result in jail time. File image
A 41-year-old Eastern Cape woman found guilty of defrauding Old Mutual has been ordered to pay a fine of R200,000 or spend just over a year behind bars.
Lindeka Patricia Ntlokwinendaba was sentenced recently in the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court following her guilty fraud conviction in May this year.
Ntlokwinendaba was arrested in July 2021 for insuring Mfunxuse Golden Mvinqi with Old Mutual and lying that he was her stepfather.
According to Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (known as the Hawks) Ntlokwinendaba insured the deceased with Old Mutual and when he passed away on June 21, 2018, she processed the death benefits under the pretext that she was the step-daughter to the deceased.
“An amount of R20,000 was successfully paid by Old Mutual to the claimant,” said Hawks spokesperson Yolisa Mgolodela.
“Later on, Old Mutual, during the auditing phase, scrutinised the claim submitted by Ntlokwinendaba and established that she was only a friend to the deceased’s niece and not his daughter.
“It was further discovered that no contributions were made by Ntlokwinendaba towards the deceased’s funeral.”
The Hawks said Old Mutual reported the matter to the Hawks in 2020.
“On the day of her arrest, the accused appeared in court and was released on a warning.
"After a series of court appearances, Ntlokwinendaba was ultimately convicted on May 15, 2024.“
The courted ordered that Ntlokwinendaba pay a fine of R200,000 or spend 15 months direct imprisonment.
The Provincial Head of the Hawks in the Eastern Cape Major General Ngwenya lauded the team for the utilisation of their expert detective skills.
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