Mbombela (Nelspruit) – The Road Accident Fund (RAF) says it is “profoundly pleased with the rearrest of lawyer and alleged fraudster, Jo-Anne Mantladi Mmela”.
The charges against Mmela, who practiced law under Mmela and Associates Inc, include fraud and theft, relating to the misappropriation of funds from the RAF.
Mmela was entrusted with managing an RAF claim on behalf of a client’s child.
She successfully submitted the claim and received the funds in her trust account.
It is alleged that Mmela then transferred the funds to another account while falsely claiming to have deposited them into the account of the beneficiary’s guardian.
When the matter came to light, Mmela was arrested on 20 September 2022.
Soon after that, the accused appeared before the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court and was released on R25 000 bail.
However, the 42-year-old attorney skipped bail, until she was rearrested by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation – the Hawks – on Saturday, 24 February 2024.
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Since her re-arrest, Mmela has remained in custody and will appear in court on Monday, (4 March 2024), to face charges of fraud and theft.
Last week, the RAF encouraged members of the public to assist the Hawks with tips on Mmela’s whereabouts so that she could face justice.
Commenting on the matter, RAF Chief Executive Officer, Collins Letsoalo, said: “The arrest and prosecution of fraudulent parties is a victory for the RAF and our claimants.
“We will not sit back and watch attorneys, medical experts, or anyone else to line their own pockets at the expense of the claimant.
“We are profoundly disappointed by lawyers who act dishonestly and defraud the very people they are meant to assist with claims.”
The RAF said it was revising its internal processes to ensure that claimants receive the funds that are due to them timeously.
In the unfortunate event of being involved in a motor vehicle accident, the RAF Contact Centre is reachable on 087 820 1 111, from Monday to Friday, 07:45 to 16:00.
The RAF can also be reached through its offices countrywide, details of which are available on its website at http://www.raf.co.za.
