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A Gqeberha man who stole over R1.4 million from his former employer has been jailed for 12 years.
The National Prosecuting Authority said 38-yer-old Morne’ Pretorius was sentenced in the Regional Court on Friday after pleading guilty last August.
NPA spokesperson, Anelisa Ngckani, said Pretorius was employed by Supply Five Distribution Pty Ltd as a branch manager.
“Between January and December 2018, Pretorius stole stock belonging to the company worth R1 479 521 and started his own business named Ubuntu Supply,” she said.
Ngcakani said he also stole and sold the Supply Five Distribution stock to the public in an attempt to finance his business.
She said the General Manager of Supply Five Distribution, Marlene Bradnick, testified that the theft had a crippling effect on the business and the Gqeberha branch was forced to close leading to retrenchments.
Pretorius also made headlines prior to his arrest in Jeffreys Bay when his wife reported him missing after his car was found abandoned at Maitlands.
