The Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court has thrown a book at the former Road Accident Fund (RAF) employee convicted of corruption.
Nobuhle Magwaza (45), who worked as a claims and legal officer, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, with two years suspended for five years. She will effectively serve ten years in direct imprisonment.
According to Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo, Magwaza solicited money from a claimant in exchange for expediting the processing and authorisation of an R2.7 million claim due to the claimant.
“In November 2019, Magwaza was employed as a claims and legal officer. During the cause of her work, she demanded R500 000.00 gratification from a claimant. She requested R50 000.00 to be paid in cash whilst the balance of R450 000.00 was to be deposited into her bank account once the claim is finalised,” Lt. Colonel Mhlongo said.
Mhlongo revealed that after the case was reported to the authorities, the Hawks members from Durban Serious Corruption conducted an undercover operation that resulted in the arrest of Magwaza in February 2020.
She was later released on bail and appeared in court several times until she was found guilty.
The KwaZulu-Natal Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Provincial Head, Major General (Dr) Lesetja Senona, welcomed the sentence and applauded the members for the good work.
