Four women accused of defrauding a burial society of R800 000 have been remanded in custody following their arrest by the Hawks' Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit.
The accused, Nandipha Mfoboza (52), Busisiwe Nondudule (52), Faniswa Nobambela (44), and Nommiselo Solani (47) made their first appearance in the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday, 18 February 2026. The case was postponed to today, 19 February 2026, for a formal bail application, and all four remain in custody.
The investigation began after the head office of the Thuso Fund Burial Society, based in Orkney in the North West province, flagged suspicious bank deposit slips originating from its Eastern Cape branches in May 2025.
An internal audit was launched to verify the authenticity of the documents and reconcile them with the company’s official FNB bank statements.
The matter was subsequently referred to the Hawks for a deeper probe. Their investigation uncovered material discrepancies, revealing that several deposit slips from the Mthatha Main Branch were allegedly fictitious. The amounts reflected on these slips did not match any actual deposits made into the company’s bank account.
Hawks investigators allege that through the submission of these fraudulent slips, the accused misrepresented that funds had been paid in, causing the burial society a financial loss of R800 000.
Following the probe, the four employees were identified as suspects and arrested on Wednesday. They are expected to apply for bail when they return to the dock on Thursday.
