A 31-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years’ direct imprisonment for defrauding members of a Christmas stokvel in Bloemfontein and Botshabelo.
Lebohang Mokatedi was sentenced by the Bloemfontein Regional Court on Thursday, 15 October 2026, following his conviction on multiple counts of fraud, theft and money laundering on 8 October.
Mokatedi allegedly lured members into joining a stokvel in 2024 by promising to supply groceries, alcoholic beverages, household items and relish ingredients at the end of the year. Members contributed between R100 and R500 monthly.
However, when the time came to deliver the promised goods, Mokatedi disappeared, leaving members out of pocket.
Victims subsequently opened fraud and theft cases at police stations in Bloemfontein and Botshabelo. The investigation was later taken over by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit, working with local detectives.
Mokatedi was eventually arrested in East London in the Eastern Cape.
The court sentenced him to 15 years’ imprisonment, with five years suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of the same offence during that period. He will serve 10 years behind bars.
His company, Lebohang Society and Financial Credit Service (Pty) Ltd, was also fined R1 million. The fine was wholly suspended for five years, subject to the company not being convicted of a cybercrime-related fraud offence during that period.
Free State police provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Solly Lesia and Hawks provincial head Major General Mokgadi Bokaba welcomed the sentence, commending investigators for their work in bringing the matter to court and securing justice for the victims.
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