MIDDELBURG — A Middelburg woman has been sentenced to nine years’ direct imprisonment after being convicted of defrauding her employer using the company’s credit card machine.
Melicia Visagie was sentenced in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, according to Middelburg SAPS.
The case followed a complaint lodged on 15 October 2024 after Nedbank alerted the company owner to suspicious transactions on his business account.
Police said the complainant was on his way home from work when the bank contacted him about possible fraud on the account. The bank had detected money being processed through the company’s credit card machine and refunded to four different bank cards.
Nedbank provided the complainant with documents relating to the transactions and asked whether he knew the suspect. He confirmed that Visagie worked in the company’s finance department.
The case was assigned to Detective Sergeant Vusumuzi Mdhluli of the Middelburg Detective Unit, who investigated the matter and arrested Visagie shortly afterwards.
The case remained on the court roll from late 2024 until Visagie was sentenced on 15 September 2026.
Police said the conviction should serve as a warning to employees who abuse company systems for personal gain.
“The Middelburg Detectives Branch remains committed to investigating employees who abuse company systems for personal gain and ensuring that those on the wrong side of the law are brought before the courts,” said Middelburg SAPS communication officer Warrant Officer Nonhlanhla Mdluli.
