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10 months ago
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Hildegard Steenkamp, the Boksburg woman who stole more than R537 million from her previous employer was sentenced on Friday.
- A woman who stole more than R537 million from her employer has been sentenced to 50 years imprisonment.
- The magistrate told the woman that his court had never handled a case involving enormous amounts stolen by an individual.
- She was employed as an accountant by Medtronic Pty (Ltd) and stole the money over 12 years.
A Boksburg woman who stole R537 million from her employer has been sentenced to an effective 50 years behind bars.
The Johannesburg Commercial Crimes Court, sitting in Palm Ridge, sentenced Hildegard Steenkamp on Friday after she was found guilty of 336 charges related to the theft of R537 million from Medtronic (Pty) Ltd, where she worked as an accountant.
Steenkamp tried to cover up the theft by making fraudulent VAT claims from the South African Revenue Service.
In imposing the sentence, Magistrate Phillip Venter said the amount involved was more than what his court has seen in other cases involving money stolen by an individual.
"The current case here with this perpetrator is the highest amount to date by an individual. Although, in her version, her husband (Mathys Steenkamp) forced her to do it, she perpetrated the actions alone. To comprehend that one employee stole so much money from her employer is mind-boggling," Venter said.
He said she single-handedly made all the transactions and executed a well-thought-out criminal plan.
The magistrate added that many of the single transactions were larger than the average salary of a middle-class person, and even more than the pension amounts some people get when they retire.
There were incidents where Steenkamp allegedly stole between R2 million and R6 million in a single transaction.
Venter pointed out that commercial crime courts saw a stark increase in criminals that have similar profiles to Steenkamp's, who committed the same type of crimes and used the same modus operandi.
"It's the profile of the most trusted individual, in a position of trust, like an accountant or bookkeeper. They usually never take leave, and someone who never allows anyone access to their system would go to the length of taking their laptops with them while they are on holiday so that they can continue working. They are usually caught in the moment of forced absence from work," Venter said.
The magistrate said perpetrators start stealing small amounts, and gradually increase their loot as time goes by.
Steenkamp's advocate, Francois Roets, argued that a direct imprisonment term would not be suitable because his client would not get an opportunity to be rehabilitated due to poor living conditions in prisons. Roets argued there was overcrowding in prisons.
However, Venter dismissed the arguments.
"A considerable long-term imprisonment is the only appropriate sentence. The court can't be regarding the issue of overcrowding in prisons. Crime stats already explain the overcrowding. There are just not enough prisons to accommodate the citizens and non-citizens, including those in the country illegally. This cannot be placed on my doorstep. The court has analysed all options. Imprisonment is the strongest deterrent sanction available," Venter said.
He added that imprisonment would keep criminals at bay, and that knowledge of current prison conditions should be a deterrent.
The sentence imposed was double what the State had requested.
During closing arguments in mitigation and aggravation of sentence, State advocate Tilas Chabalala had asked the court to impose a 25-year imprisonment term due to the severity of the crimes committed.
Steenkamp, who was teary-eyed even before the sentence was imposed, was supported by her new husband, Deon Pieterse, her son, Johan Steenkamp, and her elderly parents.
