Masixole Bangiso, a 41-year-old attorney from East London, appeared in court on Monday, September 9, for allegedly stealing money from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) meant for his clients.
Bangiso, of Masixole Bangiso Attorneys, was arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team and granted R4,000 bail.
According to Captain Yolisa Mgolodela, the Hawks’ provincial spokeswoman, Bangiso allegedly defrauded the RAF of over R1 million in two transactions.
The case involves a woman who was severely injured in a motor vehicle accident on April 18, 2021. She hired Bangiso to handle her RAF claim and was reportedly told that her claim of R550,000 would be paid by December 2023.
However, when the woman inquired about the status of her claim in January 2024, Bangiso allegedly made excuses and failed to transfer the funds to her. An investigation revealed that the money was paid into Bangiso’s trust account but was not given to the client.
Bangiso allegedly paid the client R500,000 after consulting with Legal Counsel, but this was found to be a claim paid out by RAF for another client.
The case has been postponed to October 11, 2024, for further investigation.
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