CAPE TOWN - A Gugulethu man is to spend an effective five years in prison for his involvement in a card cloning crime spree around the Western Cape in 2018.
Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said Siyasanga Miya, 39, from Gugulethu, pleaded guilty to using cloned credit cards as payments at various shops around the province.
Miya was on Wednesday sentenced to 13 years on 280 counts of fraud of which six years is suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of fraud and theft during the period of suspension.
“He was further ordered to serve a concurrent five years, wholly suspended for five years, on 34 counts of contravening the Electronic Communications Act (ECT),” Hani said.
Miya’s co-accused Simphiwe Bulana was sentenced to five years, suspended for five years, on 95 counts of fraud as well as 24 months correctional supervision. He was also sentenced to five years suspended for five years on 18 counts of contravening the Electronic Communications Act.
This after the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime team in Cape Town took over cases related to a syndicate operating in the Western Cape regarding cloned credit cards, Hani said.
“The probe resulted in Siyasanga Miya and Simphiwe Bulana being arrested for the crime spree that took place during 2018.
“Prior to the arrest of Siyasanga Miya on the above mentioned cases he was awaiting trial on another Table Bay harbour related matter with Bulana. Cases were centralised in the Commercial Crimes Court,” Hani said.
The court took into consideration that Miya has been in custody since his arrest in 2020, meaning he is to effectively serve the remaining five years imprisonment, Hani said.
Additionally, both accused were declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Cape Times