COMPANY DIRECTOR SENTENCED TO THREE YEARS DIRECT IMPRISONMENT
MPUMALANGA: A 37-year-old Kanyamazane businesswoman will spend the next three years behind bars.
Philisiwe Miriam Pretty Luphoko, a sole director of Premax Trading 43 cc, knowingly and intentionally misrepresented the company by submitting fraudulent income tax returns with the intention of defrauding the South African Revenue Service (SARS). As a result, SARS suffered an actual loss of R464 550.28 of which R264 550.28 was later recovered by SARS.
In 2019, the case docket was registered at Kanyamazane SAPS. The matter was referred to the Hawks Nelspruit based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation for handling.
The convict pleaded guilty on the fraud and theft charges before Nelspruit Commercial Court on Thursday, 03 July 2025.
The court ordered Luphoko to pay R100 000 on behalf of the company, and the fine was wholly suspended for five years on condition that the company and its director are not found guilty of the similar offences. Luphoko was sentenced to three years of direct imprisonment.
The Mpumalanga Acting Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Brigadier Danie Hall, commended the investigation team and prosecutor for the conviction.
