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- An Eastern Cape woman is in hot water for allegedly lodging a fraudulent R2.3 million Road Accident Fund claim.
- It is alleged that Thandeka Maquthu had actually sustained her injuries by slipping and falling - not in a motor vehicle accident.
- She has since been released on bail.
An Eastern Cape woman was arrested for fraud on Tuesday after she claimed R2.3 million from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) for motor vehicle accident-related injuries when, according to the State, she had sustained the injuries by slipping and falling.
It is alleged that the RAF lost more than R12 000 in legal fees while trying to challenge the claim.
In the end, its efforts succeeded in preventing 35-year-old Thandeka Maquthu from getting the money. The RAF blocked the payment, which had already been processed.
After the Hawks' East London Serious Corruption Investigation team arrested Maquthu, she appeared in the East London Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.
She was released on R500 bail and is scheduled to appear in court again on 3 May.
According to the charge sheet, Maquthu reportedly went to the Mbizana police station on 5 May 2021 and allegedly reported a hit-and-run accident.
READ | Woman who broke leg 'while walking', faces R1.7m fraud charge for claiming car crash caused injury
However, it is the State's case that Maquthu injured her ankle and elbow on 29 August 2015 when she fell while walking near to Patrick's Hospital in Mbizana.
The Hawks said Maquthu was treated at the hospital before she was transferred to Bedford Orthopaedic Hospital in Mthatha for further medical treatment.
It is alleged that she later lodged the RAF claim for the R 2.3 million.
Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Bonnie Nxumalo said:
Nxumalo added that it was then discovered that Maquthu had not been involved in a hit-and-run accident.
She said the RAF spent R12 833.73 to litigate against the claim.
The matter was then referred to the Hawks' Serious Corruption Investigation unit in East London.
Maquthu's case is not the first of its kind in the Eastern Cape.
ALSO READ | 102 law firms probed for R340m in RAF duplicate payments
In 2012, the RAF paid 35-year-old Asanda Nomnikelo Pinapi R1.7 million for a personal injury she claimed she had sustained in a motor vehicle accident.
However, in December 2020, the Hawks arrested her for fraud and corruption, alleging that its preliminary investigation revealed that she had allegedly sustained her injuries while walking with her boyfriend. It was alleged that she had fallen and broken her leg.
With the help of an attorney, Pinapi allegedly submitted false fraudulent RAF claims and an amount of R 1 707 403.50 was paid into the attorney's bank account.
The matter is before the East London Magistrate's Court and Pinapi is out on R3 000 bail.
