The Hawks have welcomed the additional apprehension of a 49-year-old man charged with fraud and contravening of the Tax Administration Act, by the Johannesburg based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team on Tuesday.

In a statement, Hawks in Gauteng spokesperson Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu said Meshack Mpapadima Makofane handed himself in at the Hawks’ office accompanied by his legal representative and was initially charged.

“It is reported that between November 2017 and January 2018, Makofane and his co-accused, Elias Oman Magheje (51), through their Cape Town based construction company, Machembe Construction and Projects CC, submitted fraudulent value added tax claim invoices to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) via e-filing,” she said.

Following SARS’ internal analysis before approximately R9.9 million was transferred to the company’s bank account, authorities noticed that the submitted documents were fraudulent, said Mulamu.

The matter was reported to the Hawks for investigation, which resulted in a warrant of arrest issued against the alleged perpetrators.

Magheje was arrested in February this year and later released on a R30 000 bail by the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.

Mokofane appeared in the same court yesterday where he was granted a R15 000-00 bail.

Both accused are expected back in court on 29 June 2022 for docket disclosure. Source: South African Government News Agency