Limpopo – A former company manager has been sentenced for defrauding her employer of nearly R4.7 million over a four-year period in a case investigated by the Hawks in Limpopo.
Collette Bronkhorst (53), who was employed as a manager at Valley’s Best in Marble Hall and responsible for financial records and bookkeeping, was found to have manipulated company accounts between 2010 and 2014.
According to authorities, Bronkhorst made unauthorised payments into her husband’s business account and her personal account, amounting to R4 697 674.88.
She was arrested on Tuesday, 23 June 2015, following an investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit in Polokwane.
The matter was finalised on Wednesday, 10 June 2026, in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, where Bronkhorst entered into a Section 105A plea agreement with the State.
She pleaded guilty to 660 counts of fraud and one count of defeating the ends of justice, and the court accepted the plea.
She was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years, and a further five years’ imprisonment, also wholly suspended for five years. The court also declared her unfit to possess a firearm.
Provincial Head of the South African Police Service Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Limpopo, Major General Adv Gopz Govender, said the conviction demonstrates the unit’s commitment to tackling financial crime.
“We will continue to prioritise investigations that protect businesses and the economy from internal fraud,” Govender said.
Authorities said the case underscores ongoing efforts to clamp down on commercial crime and hold offenders accountable for large-scale financial misconduct.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
