A total of 17 charges have been slapped on resigned GetBucks Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Buhle Madonsela for allegedly defrauding the company of a sum of over E7 million between the period of July 2021 and February 2024.
GetBucks is a financial services provider established in 2014 and has branches in Mbabane, Matsapha, Siteki, Manzini and Nhlangano. It offers credit facilities to salaried individuals in the public and private sectors.
GetBucks is a subsidiary of ESW Investment Group Limited. According to the charge sheet, on diverse occasions, Madonsela stole a total sum of E6 170 978.
The accused appeared in the Magistrate Court in court where his 17 counts were read to him. The exact amount is E7 185, 839.31 which was discovered to have been lost which coincided with his tenure as head of the finance function.
In the first count, the accused person is charged with the crime of theft in that, between the year 2021 and the year 2024 and at GetBucks Eswatini in the Mazzini Region, the said accused person while employed as a Chief Financial Officer did unlawfully and intentionally steal money amounting to E6 170 978.07 the property in the lawful possession of Nonophile Dine and did thereby commit the crime of theft.
Madonsela is charged with the crime of Uttering in his second count, in February 2023, and at or near GetBucks,
The said accused did unlawfully, and with intent thereby to defraud, and to the prejudice of GetBucks Eswatini, offer, uttered, and put off a forged First National Bank GetBucks Eswatini bank statement.
The statement was for January 2023 to Khayelihle Hlophe, he, the accused when he so offered, uttered and put off the aforesaid document, well knowing it to have been forged.
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Uttering, according to the law dictionary, is a crime that involves the act of passing or using a forged document, like uttering a forged check.
The crimes of uttering and forgery are closely related and we often see them both charged in the same complaint or indictment.
In the fourth count the accused person is charged with the crime of Uttering, in that, upon or about April 2023, and at or near GetBucks, in the Manzini Region, the said accused did unlawfully, and with intent thereby to defraud, and the prejudice of GetBucks Eswatini, offer,
Uttered and put off a forged First National Bank GetBucks Eswatini bank statement for March 2023, to Khayelihle Hlophe, he, the accused when he so offered, uttered and put off the aforesaid document, well knowing it to have been forged.
The accused person is charged with the crime of Uttering, as it comes up for June 2023 at GetBucks, in the Manzini Region, the said accused did unlawfully, and with intent thereby to defraud, and to the prejudice of GetBucks Eswatini, offer,
Uttered and put off a forged First National Bank GetBucks Eswatini bank statement for May 2023 to Khayelihle Hlophe, he, the accused when he so offered, uttered and put off the aforesaid document, well knowing it to have been forged.
When the prosecution read Madonsela his charges, the name Khayelihle Hlophe who was defrauded by the accused kept coming up.
For multiple months the accused defrauded Hlophe using forged bank statements.
In count 16 for example, the accused person is charged with the crime of Uttering again in September 2023, and at on near GetBucks,
In the Manzini Region, the said accused did unlawfully, and with intent thereby to defraud, and to the prejudice of GetBucks Eswatini, offer, uttered and put off Forged First National Bank GetBucks Eswatini bank statement. When the accused offered, uttered, and put off the aforesaid document, well knowing it to have been forged.
The charge comes back up again in counts 12, 13, 14, 15, and 17 where the accused person is charged with the crime of Uttering.
In that, upon or about January 2024, and at or near GetBucks, in the Manzini Region, the said accused did unlawfully, and with intent thereby to defraud, and to the prejudice of GetBucks Eswatini,
offer, uttered and put off a forged First National Bank GetBucks Eswatini bank statement for December 2023 to Khayelihle Hlophe, he, the accused when he so offered, uttered.
Mandonsela was remanded back into custody until May 31, 2024, pending the High Court committal.
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Meanwhile, in the same court Thula Vicent Simelane, an adult male 45 years of Corporation in the Hhohho region was charged with the offence of Section 89 (1) as read with Section 122 (7) of the Road Traffic Act 6 of 2007.
In that upon or about April 30, 2024, at about 1208 hours and near Emafini, the said accused being the driver of motor vehicle GSD 122 UN, an Isuzu LDV did wrongfully,
unlawfully, and negligently drive the said motor vehicle along MR3 Public Rond and knocked from behind a Toyota Hilux registered DSD 654 DH driven by Dumsani Kenny Masilela of Ezulwini and thus contravened the above-cited Act.
The particulars of his negligent driving, the accused failed to maintain a safe following distance and failed to apply brakes on timeously.
It was also said the accused failed to avoid an accident a reasonable driver would have avoided. He was fined E500 or 5 months imprisonment.
