Three directors appear in Gqeberha court over R478,810 investment fraud

Three company directors have appeared in the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court after being arrested in connection with an unlawful investment scheme that left identified victims with a total financial prejudice of R478,810.

Who appeared in court

The accused are Simphiwe Mbuwako (40), alleged to have served as Sales Director, Anda Pretty Kinzela (32), the Marketing Director, and Sikilela Matikinca (29), the Information Technology Director of Simply Grace Outreach Investments (Pty) Ltd. They made their first court appearance on 24 August 2026.

Allegations and investigation

Authorities allege the three ran an unlawful investment operation from Gqeberha between 5 June 2018 and 21 November 2018, enticing members of the public to invest by promising returns of up to 75% per month. The operation is said not to have been registered as a Financial Services Provider with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority and not to have been authorised to conduct banking business.

Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, a Hawks spokesperson, said that 24 investors were allegedly induced to deposit funds into the company’s First National Bank account and that discrepancies were detected, prompting the matter to be handed over to the Gqeberha Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Hawks.

Charges, arrest and court outcome

The three directors face fraud and money laundering charges. They were arrested by the Hawks on the same day as their court appearance and were released on bail of R500 each. Their matter was postponed to 3 September 2026 for legal representation.

Financial prejudice

According to the Hawks, the total financial prejudice suffered by the identified victims has been quantified at R478,810. Investigators allege that the funds were not used for the investment purposes represented to the victims.

Next steps

The case will return to the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on 3 September 2026 where matters of legal representation will be addressed.