By Teboho Moloi
QWAQWA – A senior member of the African Transformation Movement (ATM) in Maluti-A-Phofung, Thapelo Alfred Lephondo (47), has been sentenced to six years in prison for fraud and money laundering by the Bethlehem Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
Lephondo, also a former employee of the Department of Employment and Labour, was convicted for defrauding the department of more than R908,000 through his company, Thaps Financial Solutions.
According to Free State Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Fikiswa Matoti, Lephondo fraudulently applied for the Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) in 2020, claiming funds on behalf of fictitious employees.
“The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) paid out a total of R908,287.28 into Thaps Financial Solutions’ bank account. As a result, the Department of Employment and Labour suffered a significant financial loss,” Matoti said.
In addition to the six-year prison term, Lephondo was given the option of paying a R500,000 fine. He was further sentenced to 36 months of correctional supervision for money laundering.
Thaps Financial Solutions was also penalized, receiving a R100,000 fine for fraud and a R500,000 fine for money laundering—both wholly suspended for five years.
The case was investigated by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit in Bethlehem.
