Cape Town - The Bellville Commercial Crimes Court has sentenced Alain Wandjo Mukamba to an effective seven years imprisonment after convicting him on a count of conspiracy to commit fraud in a case going back to 2014.
Mukamba was also convicted on three counts of fraud, contravention of the Electronic Communication and Transactions Act and a count of money laundering.
During the trial, the prosecutor advocate Esmeralda Johnson, told the court that in 2014 Mukamba recruited Sisanda Mavangwe who in turn recruited Nomaphelo Mabayi.
Johnson said that Mukamba asked the two women to register private companies and then guided them to open bank accounts. They opened accounts with Capitec, Standard Bank, Nedbank and ABSA, providing fake personal details including residential addresses and contact numbers.
He then told them to get point of sales devices or speed points from the banks and when the devices were delivered to the two women, Mukamba took them.
Johnson said Mavangwe and Mabayi lied when opening business accounts, Mavangwe claiming to be a director of Pafos Restaurant and Bar while Mabayi claimed to be a director of Noma Meat and Fish Wholesale.
The court was told Mukamba swiped cloned cards and his fraudulent activities earned him R2.4 million.
The court heard that on October 30, 2014, police applied for and obtained a search and seizure warrant for Mukamba’s residence. There they seized a Standard Bank speed point, 30 speed point slips for Pafos Restaurant and Bar, a menu for the restaurant and 16 bank cards.
They also took company registration documents for Mavangwe Sisanda Trading (Pty) Ltd, a share certificate in Mavangwe’s name and company registration documents for Nomaphelo Mabayi (Pty) Ltd T/A Noma Meat and Fish Wholesale.
Also seized were a laptop, cellphones and new clothing items from a high-end children’s boutique that still had the price tags attached.
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Mavangwe and Mabayi entered into a plea and sentencing agreement in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Part of the agreement was that they would testify against Mukamba.