A sneaky Zimbabwean accountant named Edward Mwanandimai is in hot water for stealing a jaw-dropping R17 million from his old job at a Johannesburg non-profit called Education and Training Unit (ETU). He pulled off this crazy heist over six long years! The juicy details came out when the ETU took Mwanandimai to the North Gauteng High Court to try and get their money back.
Even though Mwanandimai is a fancy UK-certified accountant, the ETU says he swiped a ton of cash right under their noses. They only figured it out after he quit in May 2020. At first, Mwanandimai owned up to stealing about R6.8m in September 2020 and even paid it back. But later, the ETU found out he'd actually stolen way more - over R17.1m!
The high court heard that Mwanandimai fessed up to owing nearly R6.8m and admitted he'd stolen more than that. After doing the math and getting some money back from him, the ETU says Mwanandimai still owes them a little over R11m.
Here's how he pulled it off: Mwanandimai had access to the ETU's online banking but was only supposed to be able to view the account, not make any changes. But he sweet-talked some of his old co-workers into giving him more access so he could make payments. Sneaky, right?
Court papers show that Mwanandimai stole the millions by swapping out the account numbers of the people and businesses the ETU owed money to with his own account number or his company's account number. He didn't change the names, just the numbers. That way, the money went into his pockets instead of to the people it was supposed to go to - even the money meant for the SA Revenue Service!
Mwanandimai admitted to owing nearly R1.8m in September 2021 and said he'd pay back R11m over 72 months. But later, his lawyer said those admissions couldn't be used in court because they were "without prejudice." Talk about a wild ride!
Even though Mwanandimai is a fancy UK-certified accountant, the ETU says he swiped a ton of cash right under their noses. They only figured it out after he quit in May 2020. At first, Mwanandimai owned up to stealing about R6.8m in September 2020 and even paid it back. But later, the ETU found out he'd actually stolen way more - over R17.1m!
The high court heard that Mwanandimai fessed up to owing nearly R6.8m and admitted he'd stolen more than that. After doing the math and getting some money back from him, the ETU says Mwanandimai still owes them a little over R11m.
Here's how he pulled it off: Mwanandimai had access to the ETU's online banking but was only supposed to be able to view the account, not make any changes. But he sweet-talked some of his old co-workers into giving him more access so he could make payments. Sneaky, right?
Court papers show that Mwanandimai stole the millions by swapping out the account numbers of the people and businesses the ETU owed money to with his own account number or his company's account number. He didn't change the names, just the numbers. That way, the money went into his pockets instead of to the people it was supposed to go to - even the money meant for the SA Revenue Service!
Mwanandimai admitted to owing nearly R1.8m in September 2021 and said he'd pay back R11m over 72 months. But later, his lawyer said those admissions couldn't be used in court because they were "without prejudice." Talk about a wild ride!
