ESTATES FRAUD: OVER E900 000 STOLEN

MBABANE – Police have uncovered more rot at the office of the Master of the High Court.

The latest investigation by the police has unearthed that an amount of over E900 000 was stolen from different estates. Notably, the implicated officers are those who were arrested for allegedly stealing a sum of E682 778.85 belonging to the estate of the late Patrick Bafana Sihlongonyane. The implicated suspects, Thandeka Xondile Maphalala, who is employed at the office of the Master and Thabani Derrick Sibanyoni who are both out on bail, have been fingered as the kingpins in the theft of estate monies.
According to a report compiled by the Royal Eswatini Police Service, Fraud and Commercial Unit, further investigations revealed that criminal activity of this nature have been ongoing at the office of the Master of the High Court, since more fraudulent  estate claims were discovered.

“Investigation also reveals that these other fraudulent claims are also linked to the same two suspects arrested.  Charges have also been amended to include same,” reads part of the investigation report. The genesis of the matter is that, the Royal Eswatini Police Service Fraud and Commercial Unit, conducted intensive investigations on the matter, which revealed that a fraudulent Standard Bank account was opened in the name of Nosipho Siphiwo Sihlongonyane, who was the beneficiary in the estate of her father Patrick Bafana Sihlongonyane. According to the investigation, the money that was to be paid to Nosipho was paid into the fictitious bank account. Nosipho once filed an application at the High Court, where she was seeking an order directing the Master of the High Court, to release and/or pay the proceeds of her inheritance. She alleged that at the Master’s office, she was informed that payment had been made into her Standard Bank account. She said she was puzzled because she held an account with Nedbank not Standard Bank.

Father

In her application, she stated that at the time of his demise, her father was employed at Nedbank Swaziland. The estate, according to the applicant (Nosipho) was duly reported to the Master of the High Court in accordance with the Administration of Estates Act, 1920 and the Master’s reference file was EH 192/2004. Nosipho told the court that she was the heir and beneficiary of her deceased father’s estate. She said at the time of her father’s demise, she was a minor. The applicant submitted that she was born on February 18, 1997. “In accordance with the law at the time, the Retirement Funds Act, 2005 having not yet being promulgated, the employment/death benefits and other estate monies were deposited to the Guardian Fund. My entitlement at that time was E450 000,” submitted the applicant. She averred that she would from time to time, through her mother, withdraw maintenance and school-related fees.

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