An South African Police Service (SAPS) administration clerk in Hazyview has been handed a suspended one-year prison sentence or a R30,000 fine after being found guilty of contravening the National Credit Act.
Bernard Ndlovu, 53, appeared before the White River Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
His sentence is suspended for five years, on condition that he is not found guilty of a similar offence, Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Magonseni Nkosi said in a statement.
Clients’ cards used as loan collateral
Ndlovu was arrested at his workplace in 2023 after police recovered 140 SASSA and bank cards in his possession.
Nkosi said the clerk had been using the cards as collateral for an unregistered cash loan business, meaning he was operating as a mashonisa .
“When clients borrowed money, Ndlovu took his clients’ cards as security to ensure his money was paid back. He was arrested for the Contravention of the National Credit Act,” said Nkosi.
Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) in Mpumalanga, Major-General Nico Gerber, reaffirmed the Hawks’ commitment to investigating crimes without fear or favour.
