The Hawks in the Eastern Cape have arrested former Gqeberha Acres Spar general manager Nicole Bekker, 37, and former bookkeeper Chantelle Erasmus, 48, on charges of fraud, theft, and money laundering amounting to R2.3 million.
The two were arrested on Wednesday, April 23, by the Gqeberha Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit of the Hawks and they appeared in court the same day and were released on R5,000 bail each.
Hawks spokesperson, Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, said that between 2021 and 2023, Bekker and Erasmus allegedly conspired to misappropriate daily shop cash.
Among their duties, was to record and regularly deposit the store’s cash into the business bank account.
However, Mhlakuvana said the pair allegedly pocketed the money and shared it among themselves in tranches.
“In some instances, the suspects reportedly ordered another person to deposit cash into the same account,” Mhlakuvana said.
He said discrepancies were picked up during an audit, and the matter was referred to the Hawks for further investigation.
“Investigations confirmed the allegations that the suspects connived with the intention of stealing from the store. As a result, Spar suffered a financial loss of R2.3 million,” Mhlakuvana said.
Mhlakuvana said the case was postponed to June 17 for the defense to receive copies of the docket.
The pair is facing charges of fraud, theft, and money laundering.
Meanwhile, acting provincial head of the Hawks, Brigadier Romeo Fredrick Petrus, welcomed the arrests and praised the Gqeberha team for ensuring a thorough investigation.
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