The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) welcomes the imprisonment of Admirer Sibanda on the charges of fraud and identity theft in relation to the Covid-19 Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme (TERS). Sibanda stole the identity of Betwel Juwele, a member of the South African Defence Force (SANDF) and used it to commit fraud.

On 27 February 2023, the East London Magistrate Court sentenced Sibanda to one-year imprisonment and ordered that after serving the prison sentence he be deported by the Home Affairs department to his country of origin, Zimbabwe.

The SIU’s investigations found that a certain Juwele applied through his employer Multi-Rect Construction to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and claimed UIF-TERS during the National State of Disaster. The bank statement and Multi- Rect Construction payment report showed that Juwele received TERS payments between March 2020 and April 2021.

An Identity Document (ID) with the same names and ID number used to apply for TERS was used by an employee of SANDF, which prompted the SIU investigation. The real Juwele, who is based in Pretoria, uses a smart card, while Sibanda used an ID book of Juwele to apply for TERS in East London. The real Juwele stated that he never worked for Multi- Rect Construction.

In line with the SIU Act, the SIU referred evidence pointing to criminal conduct to the Nation Prosecuting Authority for further action. Sibanda was arrested by the South African Police in December last year in East London, and he confessed to the crime.

The imprisonment of Sibanda is a clear demonstration by State institutions of the implementation of the SIU investigation outcomes and consequence management.

The SIU was authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate allegations made in respect of the affairs of the Unemployment UIF in terms of Proclamation R.8 of 2021. The SIU investigated TERS payments to persons who were not entitled to receive such payments; submitted false, irregular, invalid or defective applications to the UIF, including the causes of such maladministration.

Issued by Kaizer Kganyago, SIU, 5 March 2023