Teboho Setena
Two men found guilty of defrauding at least two people via an illegal estate agency in Bloemfontein have been sentenced, with one of them having no other option than to spend time in prison.
The Bloemfontein Regional Court sentenced Teboho David Kolokomane (52) and Teboho Diamond (43) on 9 May.
This followed their conviction early in February after they had been found guilty of fraud – arising from failure to refund two victims who had purchased properties.
The victims had proofs of purchase concluded in 2012, and these were presented in court as part of compelling evidence against the accused.
The sentencing was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bloemfontein Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime detectives.
WO Fikiswa Matoti, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said that Diamond had been sentenced to ten years’ direct imprisonment, while Kolokomane was sentenced to a fine of R60 000, or three years’ direct imprisonment and an additional three years. She said three years were wholly suspended for five years, on the condition Kolokomane is not convicted of a similar crime.
The Hawks discovered the fraudsters illegally operated an estate agency under the now defunct company Kolokomane and Partners in Bloemfontein. They were not registered with the Estate Agency Affairs Board (EAAB). This is the regulating body for estate agents in South Africa.
In September 2012, the one victim made a deposit into the accused’s bank account, in a transaction pertaining to a house. According to the Hawks’ findings, Diamond and Kolokomane had used the house as bait and defrauded unsuspecting victims.
In the wake of several unsuccessful attempts by the victims to have the properties transferred into their names, and subsequent attempts to be refunded, the convicted fraudsters failed to refund the two victims – R120 000 for the house and also R50 000 for site, respectively.
Property fraud in this city nothing new. A big case of this type of fraud involved business partners Teboho Samuel Taso and Momofumahadi Annah Molelekoa, who were sentenced for defrauding 64 clients in Bloemfontein. They swindled them via their estate agency Senotetsha Property Developer and Quick Step Trading 545. They were sentenced in November 2019 after the court had found them guilty of defrauding 64 clients of an estimated R5,6 million combined. The fraud was committed during the period of 2011 and 2013.
The court sentenced Taso and Molelekoa each to ten years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years. The suspension was granted on the condition that they were not found guilty of fraud or theft during the period of the suspension and that they reimburse the complainants according to the repayment schedule as ordered by the court. The first payment was due on the last day of January 2019, and the final payment would be the last day of January 2023. The police investigation revealed the specific properties were never for sale.
According to evidence presented in court, victims deposited different amounts of money into the business accounts of the convicted property fraudsters.
