Eastern Cape Hawks nab two in R1.1m UIF fraud crackdown

The accused assisted prospective claimants by providing claim forms and other documentation. Two Eastern Cape women accused of orchestrating a R1.1 million UIF fraud scheme were arrested and hauled before court the same day their alleged scam was exposed. Nandipha Tutani (47) and Nobuntu Mjili (50) were arrested on 15 September 2026 and appeared before the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court the same day. Arrest The duo were arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation after they were allegedly implicated in a fraudulent scheme that caused the Department of Labour to suffer financial prejudice of over R1.1 million. Their scheme began in 2018, when Tutani was employed by the Department of Labour in the Employer Services section. Her responsibilities included capturing, verification and filing of Employer Declaration of Employees forms, commonly referred to as UI‑19 forms, on benefit files. Fraud scheme Reports state the accused assisted prospective claimants by providing claim forms and other documentation required to initiate UIF applications. Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said: “In certain instances, the accused allegedly assisted with arrangements involving bank accounts through which the proceeds of the fraudulent claims could be received. “During auditing, discrepancies were picked up by the Department, and the matter was subsequently handed over to the Hawks. Investigation indicated that the alleged scheme did not merely depend on isolated fraudulent applications, but involved several individuals performing different functions within what appeared to have been a coordinated modus operandi.” Investigation The investigation revealed Tutani and Mjili allegedly recruited individuals to institute UIF claims despite those individuals not meeting requirements. It further alleges Tutani acted in common purpose with Mjili in orchestrating and executing the scheme. Mhlakuvana said the alleged conduct involved recruiting purported claimants, preparing and submitting fraudulent applications, capturing and processing them, and subsequently withdrawing funds paid as a consequence of the claims. “Intensive probing by the Hawks resulted in the arrest of the suspects at Gqeberha on 15 September 2026. The duo subsequently appeared before court on the same day, where they were each released on R2,000 bail, and the matter was postponed to 5 October 2026 for legal representation,” he said. Team applauded Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya, Provincial Head of the Hawks, applauded the investigating team. “We commend the enormous work done in bringing the perpetrators before court.”