Van Niekerk’s arrest follows hot on the heels of that in April of 57-year-old Scholtz — Botselo Mills’s former financial manager — who allegedly stole more than R9.1 million from the firm through the creation of 61 transactions that the state alleges the company knew nothing about.
According to a list of transactions compiled by the NPA, the lowest amount Van Niekerk allegedly stole was R420 on 5 January 2017 and he ramped up the amounts as the years went on, culminating in him stealing the highest amount — R725 500 — exactly five years later on 5 January 2022. This was the fourth-last fraudulent transaction Van Niekerk allegedly initiated.
The state says Van Niekerk “submitted and/or created forms requiring authorisation and/or approval and/or signatures and/or release of funds for payment by [Botselo Mills] to the companies and/or service providers and/or bank accounts” he owned or had financial interests in. The charge sheet adds that Van Niekerk made up reasons and references in order to divert his employer’s funds into his accounts.
The breakdown of payments from the NPA documents suggests that Scholtz became emboldened over the years, and apparently surpassed the 2017 amount in just seven of the 10 transactions in 2019, with those payments totalling R782 839.18.