Relebohile Makhetha
Moliehi Mohomela, aged 26, of Khubetsoana in Berea, has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to fraud charges under section 68 (1) read with section 109 of the Penal Code Act No. 6 of 2010.
The charges stem from an incident on December 30, 2022, at Bears Furniture store in the Maseru, where Mohomela unlawfully and deliberately made a false representation to Tšepo Ledia, the manager at Bears Furniture.
Mohomela concealed her true identity, using the name Mokhoboeli Adelice Tsoebeane, with the intention of defrauding the store.
Ledia recounted the incident during his testimony, describing how Mohomela entered the shop and was assisted by Nomakhosi Mbotho to purchase a couch and a bed on credit, making a deposit of M2,700.00.
Following the deposit, Ledia interviewed Mohomela about her residence, monthly payments, and the delivery date of the items.
“Although the accused insisted on same-day delivery, I informed her that due to logistical reasons, the delivery would take place at 11 a.m. the next day. We ultimately agreed on this delivery time,” Ledia testified.
Upon the customer signing the hire purchase agreement, Ledia said he requested her identification (ID) card and payslip to verify her source of income.
“She provided both documents, with the payslip bearing the same name as the ID, Mokhoboeli Adelice Tsoebeane. The payslip, issued by G8 Consultancy, matched the name on the ID,” Ledia explained.
The contract detailed the purchased items: A Restoric Embassy bed and a Montoyo couch, valued at M9,999.00 and M15,999.00, respectively, with a total cost, including charges, amounting to M45,527.12.
Suspicions arose when Ledia personally called the accused’s office at Ha Thetsane in Maseru, where a security guard informed him that the office had been vacant for almost three months.
“Suspecting fraud, I contacted the ID department at Home Affairs to verify the validity of the provided ID. The department sent me an ID picture, which did not match the accused, confirming my suspicions,” Ledia added.
Ledia told the court that promptly reported the matter to Pitso Ground Police Station in Maseru. The police conducted a follow-up investigation and arrested Mohomela when the goods were delivered.
Mohomela pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. The case was presided over by Magistrate Letsika, with Prosecutor Motiki handling the proceedings.