Byline: Thendo Funyufunyu
Thursday, 02 March 2023
In the Nelspruit Specialised Commercial Crime Court on March 1, 2023, Michael Chimanzi (56), who was charged with fraud, theft, and money laundering, was found guilty and given a sentence.
The trial of his co-defendants, two former Eskom employees who are currently free on bail, Nwabisa Ngxola and Cinderella Moropane, was permitted by the court.
As a result, the case against Chimanzi, who had been detained since his original arrest in 2018, was finally resolved.
It is alleged that in November 2013, Chimanzi, the sole Director of Chimanzi Investments, conspired with Eskom employees Ngxola and Moropane to submit false invoices to Eskom for services that had never been provided. Eskom lost R2.6 million as a result of fraudulent transactions that were routed through Chimanzi Investments’ corporate account.
Chimanzi had already served four years in prison when the judge handed down the sentence. Also, the defendant expressed regret and entered a plea of guilty right away, saving the state money.
Along with his company, Chimanzi was given an 8-year sentence that was completely suspended for 5 years under the condition that he is not found guilty and sentenced to a comparable offense during the suspension.
The case against Ngxola and Moropane was postponed to 2 May 2023 for sentencing, and their bail was extended.
