Bushbuckridge – Company owner Bongani Sibuyi has been handed a 36-month jail sentence with an option of a R60 000 fine for scamming vulnerable jobless youths in Mpumalanga.
Between 2017 and 2018 the 31-year-old hatched a plan to defraud young people.
He asked them to pay an admin fee of R250 to qualify to take part in a skills development learnership programme, which he said came with a monthly stipend of R3 500.
More than 300 youths registered for the project and paid “admin fees” into Sibuyi’s company account.
A few months after the commencement of the project, learners embarked on a strike due to non-payment of the stipend.
Authorities probing the matter found that the company was not registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC).
The company was not accredited – as required – by Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA).
It was later established that the “admin fees” were not used for the purpose intended.
Subsequently, Sibuyi was arrested along with his partner.
This week Sibuyi appeared in the Bushbuckridge Magistrate’s Court for fraud and money laundering.
On Friday, (3 March 2023), the court, which had found the accused guilty of fraud and money laundering, sentenced Sibuyi to 36 months imprisonment or R60 000 – half of which was suspended.
Sibuyi’s partner was cleared of all charges.