The arrest of Lindelani Gumede, who allegedly swindled more than R11.1‑million from the Covid-19 temporary employer/employee relief programme (Ters), has put the R827-million stolen from the government-backed initiative back in the spotlight.
Last week, Gumede, a convicted fraudster and bookkeeper, made his first appearance in the Johannesburg specialised commercial crimes court on 32 counts of theft for the same number of allegedly fraudulent transactions he made in six months last year.