A young Port Elizabeth man has been jailed for an effective eight years for stealing more than R4 million from his former employer.
26-year-old Barend Kleynhans was sentenced in the city's Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday in terms of a plea agreement.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of theft for stealing more than R4.3 million from Renroc Agencies where he had been employed as a bookkeeper.
The thefts occurred between October 2013 and July 2015.
In passing sentence, the magistrate, Lionel Lindoor, considered his health, personal circumstance and remorse.
"You present with mild anxiety disorder and mild depressive disorder. You also present with avoidant personality disorder as well as borderline personality disorder. These conditions may however improve with treatment by a qualified clinical psychologist as well as medication," he said.
"Kleynhans' circumstances cannot be viewed in isolation and pleading guilty does not translate into a genuine and demonstratable expression of remorse," Lindoor added.
He said the motive for theft seemed to be to be greed with most of the money being spent on cars, holidays and branded clothing.
Lindoor said Kleynhans wanted a luxurious life for himself and his family.
Given the mentioned psychological disorders the Magistrate said it was unclear whether or not Kleynhans was capable of showing true remorse.
Kleynhans was sentenced to 12 years, four of which were suspended for five years.
