NORTH WEST – Dinah Dorothea Botes (40) and Alicia Gwanathon Cullingham (32) appeared before the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court facing theft charges worth over R10 million following their arrest by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit on Friday and Monday respectively.

The duo was employed by Sitona Mining when they allegedly stole from the mine. It is alleged that between 2014 and 2019 Botes transferred over R9.3 million into two of her personal accounts and allegedly concealed and disguised the source of the money. She now faces 126 counts of Theft and 1 count of Contravention of Section 4(b)(i),read with section 1 and 8 of Act 121 of 1998 of Prevention of Organise Crime Act (POCA).

Cullingham also allegedly used the same modus operandi and transferred over R1 million into her account during the same period. She faces 18 counts of Theft and 21 counts of Contravention of Section 4(b)(i) of Act 121 of 1998 of POCA.

Botes was granted R30 000-00 bail, meanwhile Cullingham was granted R15 000-00 bail. The matter has been postponed to 08 July 2022 for the case to be transferred to the Regional court.

Source: South African Police Service