A man who defrauded the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) of more than R1.5 million rand has been sentenced to an effective 8 years behind bars.
Forty-six-year-old Christopher Tshivulu was sentenced in the Specialised Commercial Crimes court sitting in Palm Ridge, Gauteng on Thursday.
The court heard how in 2018 Tshivule 'hijacked' a non-profit organisation called The Message which operated in Bekkersdal.
The NPA says according to the grant application form, Tshivule misrepresented himself as the chairperson of the NPO and applied for funding in the amount of R3 million for the mobilization and organising of a Traditional Arts Festival, among other activations.
On the strength of the NPO certificate and fraudulent grant application form, funding worth R1,57 million was granted.
The NPA says that some time passed before the NPO realised they had been duped.
In aggravation for sentence, Senior State Adv. Phuti Matabane argued that the NLC is on the brink of collapse, as a result of greedy individuals like Tshivule, that milked its coffers, without thinking of the members of society that benefit from such funds.
During sentencing Magistrate, Brian Nemavhidi remarked that white-collar crimes have reached alarming proportions and that courts must send a message that crime shall be dealt with severely.
