GQEBERHA - An Eastern Cape family has been sentenced to direct imprisonment for defrauding the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) of approximately R500 000.
The sentence was handed down by the Gqeberha Commercial Crimes Court following a decade-long trial.
At the centre of the scheme is 49-year-old Dimitri Jantjies, who the court found was the mastermind behind the fraudulent scheme which operated between May 2009 and March 2011.
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Eastern Cape NPA Regional Spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said Jantjies, alongside his late sister, used their position and influence within the Department of Employment and Labour to carry out the fraudulent claims.
“[The fraudulent scheme] involved the manipulation of official UIF documentation, including employer declaration forms, to facilitate the unlawful diversion of UIF benefits into bank accounts controlled by the accused,” he said.
A scheme that trickled down the family tree
Jantjies and his late sister did not work alone.
His parents, Barbara and Thomas Jantjies, 77 and 78 respectively, his wife, Tania Jantjies, 49, and relative, Versinese Jantjies, 42, were also part of the fraudulent scheme.
According to Tyali, their roles involved recruiting various individuals to provide bank accounts through which the fraudulently obtained funds could be channeled.
“In some instances, they received payments directly and rewarded those who cooperated with the scheme," he said.
The victims behind the scheme
Some of the individuals targeted unknowingly were family friends, church members, former partners, or persons connected to the family through domestic employment relationships.
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This, according to Tyali, pointed to how deliberate and concealed the nature of the operation was.
The sentence
Sentences handed down included 12 years’ imprisonment for Jantjies.
Barbara and Thomas Jantjies were sentenced to five years each.
And Virsinese and Tania were sentenced to four years each.
Tyali said the five are expected to “serve a portion of their custodial sentences before being considered for placement under correctional supervision for the remainder of their terms”.
Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Samkelo Mtwana welcomed the sentence, saying it reaffirms NPA's commitment to holding accountable those who abuse state resources for personal enrichment.
“The NPA remains committed to combating fraud, corruption, and money laundering, particularly crimes that undermine public institutions and deprive vulnerable beneficiaries of resources intended for their support,” he said.