By Emily Setona
BLOEMFONTEIN – A Hoopstad family and their company appeared in court this week accused of swindling more than R900 000 from a fuel business in a deal worth R1.7 million.
Pieter Smit, 63, Elizabeth Smit, 62, and their sons Marnu Smit, 32, and Estean Smit, 30, appeared alongside their company Landboudienste Diesel (Pty) Ltd in the Hoopstad Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 31 August.
All face charges of fraud, theft and money laundering.
According to the Hawks, the trouble started in September 2021.The complainant wanted to buy R700 Truck Stop in Hoopstad. The seller was Pieter Smit.
Whe business was sold for about R1.7 million. But Smit and his sons stayed on to run the operations.
When profits never came, the new owner got suspicious.
A Hawks investigation allegedly found that over R900 000 had been moved between various bank accounts.
Some of that money landed in an account belonging to Landboudienste Diesel (Pty) Ltd, where one of the Smit sons is a director.
The case was taken to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit in Welkom.
Warrants were issued and executed on 31 August. All 4 accused were arrested.The Smit family were each released on R5 000 bail.
The matter has been postponed to 16 September for appearance in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Bloemfontein.
The allegations have not yet been tested in court.
