A non-profit organization director has been convicted of fraud and money laundering after R700,000 in National Lotteries Commission (NLC) funding intended for charitable work was used to buy a vehicle for personal use, the Hawks said. Nathan Baldwin Ramailane, 62, was convicted on one count of fraud and two counts of money laundering by the Kimberley Serious Commercial Crimes Court.
Ramailane was charged alongside his organization, Heseqwa Caring Network, after the NLC approved a funding application worth R700,000 and paid the money to the organization. The NLC later raised concerns while checking whether the organization was operating and using the funding as intended.
Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe said the NLC requested a progress report from Heseqwa Caring Network as part of its monitoring process before visiting the organization’s premises.
“The organization was found not to be in operation,” Thebe said.
Investigators said a report suspected to be fraudulent, and signed by the organization’s directors, was submitted to NLC officials to make it appear that the organization was operating. The NLC launched an internal investigation before reporting the matter to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit in Kimberley.
“The actual loss suffered is R700 000 caused by the conduct of the accused,” Thebe said.
The investigation found that the money was used to buy a motor vehicle, which Ramailane later used for personal reasons. Northern Cape Hawks provincial head Major-General Stephen Mabuela said the conviction should serve as a warning to those who use non-governmental and non-profit organizations to commit crimes.
“We are hoping for a good sentence that will send the message that crimes committed using NGO/NPOs will not be tolerated,” Mabuela said.
Ramailane is expected to return to the Kimberley Serious Commercial Crimes Court on December 8 for sentencing. The Hawks said the case forms part of its efforts to combat crimes committed through non-governmental organizations.
