A woman in her sixties, facing 14 charges of defrauding an East London restaurant, was set to appear in the local Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Carol Gower was expected to attend the opening of her trial but submitted a sick note, citing depression as the reason for her absence.
The 64-year-old was a manager at Saffron Family Kitchen, where she allegedly duplicated transaction details and redirected funds to her personal bank account.
She is also accused of voiding so many transactions that the restaurant reportedly recorded negative sales on some days.
She allegedly stole between R500 000 and R600 000 in just five months during her tenure in 2022.
Additional charges are expected to be added, as Gower allegedly continued to defraud more businesses while out on bail.
She has a prior fraud conviction and served a suspended sentence.
Her case has now been postponed to 22 November, when a new trial date will be set.
