Two men, Erick Thulani Phiri and Lourens Zitha, were convicted for using counterfeit credit cards to swipe motorists for payment at the Nkomazi Toll Gate in Mpumalanga.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (commonly known as Hawks) arrested the couple after receiving information about a syndicate utilizing FNB and Nedbank counterfeit credit cards to help motorists by swiping at the toll gate in exchange for cash.
According to Hawks spokesperson Captain Dineo Sekgotodi, Phiri, 32, was searched following his detention and discovered to be in possession of stolen credit cards from FNB and Nedbank.
Sekgotodi stated that following their arrest, they appeared at the Low’s Creek Periodical Court in Barberton, Mpumalanga, where they were charged with fraud and freed on R2,000 bond each.
During the trial, it was shown that Phiri illegally took almost R16,000 from the cards.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to an R3,000 fine or three months in prison.
Meanwhile, Zitha, 30, was found with toll gate transaction slips and fraudulently swiped more than R19,000.
He also pled guilty and was sentenced to an R6,000 fine or six months in prison.
Major General Gerber, the Provincial Head of the Hawks, praised the investigating team for completing the probe quickly, resulting in the successful sentence.
