Cape Town-Mbele siblings accused of insurance claim fraud were released on bail at the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on 3 December.
The two siblings, Wanda and Sindiswa Mbele, were charged with fraud and money laundering relating to insurance policies belonging to late Noem My Skollie actor David ‘Gums’ Manuel, who they claimed was their cousin. The state mentioned that the siblings received payouts of R110 000, reported EWN.
The Daily Voice mentioned that the siblings spent R15 000 on furniture. However, Magistrate Keith Le Keur said Wanda (the male sibling) is employed, and there is no evidence that he used the money from the policy to buy furniture; it is the State’s responsibility to prove that.
ALLEGEDLY ARRESTED FOR MURDER BUT CHARGED FOR FRAUD
The duo was initially arrested on 12 November 2024, allegedly for the murder of Manuel and his close friend Alfonso Fisher, which occurred on November 8, 2024. However, because they took out a funeral policy on Manuel a week before his death, it created suspicions that they might have altered the policy; the State only charged them with money laundering and fraud.
An investigating officer revealed WhatsApp texts between the accused. The text read- “They are going to die Sindi.”
The pair discussed an increased death payout for Patrick, sending a request through email, to the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture to release funding that had been applied for to assist with funeral arrangements.
MBELE SIBLINGS GRANTED BAIL
According to IOL, during the judgment proceedings, Le Kleur, said the state did not present enough evidence to keep the siblings in jail. He therefore granted the siblings R800 bail each.
Hearing the good news that they would be at home during Christmas, the siblings hugged each other and left the court with their supporters cheering and singing for them.
Le Keur said while murder is the main charge investigated, the siblings had a clean criminal record and had no murder charges.
He stated, “The likelihood of evading justice in the release from custody, the applicants both have a fixed address as well as alternative addresses.”
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said they accepted the court’s decision.
The case was postponed to January 28.
INSURANCE FRAUD STATS
There have been many insurance fraud-related cases in South Africa for the past few years. The most famous insurance fraud murder trial was that of former policewoman Rosemary Ndlovu, who was convicted of murdering more than five people.
BusinessTech mentioned that the Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA) has recorded more than 13 000 cases of fraud, a 46% increase from 8 931 cases reported in 2023.
Jean van Niekerk, convenor of the ASISA Forensic Standing Committee, said the trend of insurance-related murders is alarming.
“We have requested ASISA members to report on these cases separately, starting with the 2023 statistics, to help our industry find ways to clamp down on these cases with urgency,” van Niekerk said.
Which ways do you think insurance companies should use to prevent fraudulent claims?
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