A 59-year-old company director has pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering charges related to fraudulent claims made to the COVID-19 Temporary Employment Relief Fund.
Thabo Thobeli, director of Botsho Botle CC, pleaded guilty to 49 counts of fraud on behalf of his company and 50 counts of money laundering in his personal capacity. He appeared before the Kimberley Serious Commercial Crimes Court on Monday, 25 May 2026.
Between April and December 2020, Thobeli submitted fraudulent claims to the Department of Labour. He forged payslips and misrepresented that certain individuals worked for his company. The Department of Labour made payments to Botsho Botle CC based on the fraudulent documents.
The Department suffered a loss of R145,000, which was paid to the company but never reached the intended beneficiaries.
The case is scheduled to return to the same court for pre-sentence and probation reports, as well as sentencing, on 10 July 2026.
