Kudakwashe Mpofu sentenced to 3 years in jail for fraud

The Molopo specialised commercial crimes court has sentenced former CFO of the North West Development Corporation (NWDC) Kudakwashe Mpofu to three years' imprisonment for fraud.

The court found Mpofu, 33, guilty of two counts of fraud, one of which was a custodial sentence.

He received an additional three years' imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years, on condition he is not convicted of fraud during the period of suspension.

"Mpofu was arrested in January by members of the Hawks' serious corruption investigation unit after probes into the use of a fraudulent South African permanent residence permit," National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Sivenathi Gunya said.

The court heard that in March 2021, the NWDC advertised a position of asset manager based at its head office in Mahikeng. Mpofu applied for the post and submitted all required documentation, including a fraudulent permanent residence permit. He was appointed on May 1 2021 and later promoted to CFO on June 1 2023.

"Investigations revealed that the permit submitted by Mpofu had never been issued by the Department of Home Affairs," Gunya said.

During the trial, Mpofu pleaded guilty to both counts.

In aggravation of sentence, state advocate Nkhetheni Mudau argued that fraud remains a serious and prevalent offence. Mudau said the accused failed to disclose how he obtained the fraudulent document and had benefited financially, earning more than R3m during his tenure at the entity.

"These sentences underscore the NPA's commitment to combating and prosecuting commercial crimes that undermine public trust and institutional integrity," North West director of public prosecutions Rachel Makhari said.