Coffin builder who allegedly swindled retired principal out of R1.2m to apply for bail

Published Feb 2, 2023

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Durban - A 47-year-old man who allegedly swindled a retired principal out of R1.2 million is expected to appear in court on Thursday.

Bongani Moses Thabethe was arrested by the Hawks.

According to Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha, it is alleged that in April 2019, Thabethe approached a retired principal with a proposal to start a funeral parlour business.

“Thabethe is a carpenter and a manufacturer of coffins. He reportedly convinced the victim to deposit the money into his Capitec account. When the money was paid, he vanished.

“The case was reported to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption team in 2021 for investigation.

“This resulted in Thabethe’s arrest when a warrant was executed at KwaThema, Springs.”

The accused appeared in the Nigel Magistrate’s Court on January 27 facing a charge of fraud.

This week, a Durban couple who defrauded the KZN Blind and Deaf Society of almost R14m have been jailed.

Ruvanya Ramiah, 31, was sentenced to an effective 15 years behind bars, while her husband, Ayush Rambally, 32, was jailed for eight years.

Ramiah, a finance officer, had swindled the society by paying herself inflated salaries, twice and sometimes more often in the same month.

This happened over a seven-year period between March 2012 and February 2019.

She also paid some of the stolen money into her husband’s bank account.

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