Three employees of construction company, Hillary Construction, have been criminally charged for allegedly defrauding the civil engineering giant of over R12 million. 

Given Victor Mathebula (31), Simnikiwe Ndinisa (48), and Demala Ndou (41) allegedly generated fraudulent invoices to order equipment worth millions for their personal benefits in Westenburg township, just outside Polokwane, in Limpopo. 

The suspects, which include a 48-year-old woman and two men, were arrested on separate occasions between Saturday, 1st and Monday, 3rd March 2025, by the Limpopo’s Commercial Crime police. 

According to the Limpopo Police spokesperson Malesela Ledwaba, the trio who worked together at the construction company, collectively embezzled the construction company by creating fake invoices to order equipment. 

Hillary Construction is a civil engineering company, headquartered in Polokwane specialising in roads, earthworks, steel reinforced concrete structures, and associated activities, which operates across South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia.

Following a thorough police investigation, Ledwaba added, Mathebula was arrested in Tzaneen, Ndinisa was rounded up in Seshego township outside Polokwane, while Ndou voluntarily surrendered to the Westenburg Police Station on Monday, 3rd March. 

“It is alleged that in July 2023, while employed at Hillary Company in the Westenburg policing area, the trio generated fraudulent invoices to order equipment, diverting a total of R12,500,000 (twelve million five hundred thousand rand) for personal gain.” 

“The fraud was later discovered and reported to the Westenburg Police Station by the company” Ledwaba said. 

The suspects were granted R50 000 bail each on their first court appearance in the Polokwane Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 3 March.

Their case has been postponed to 9 April for further investigations.