On Thursday, 20 November 2025, the Middelburg Serious Commercial Crimes Court sentenced Jo-Anne Mantladi Mmela (44), to ten years direct imprisonment for theft of RAF money. The sentence follows the arrest of Mmela in September 2022 by the Middelburg based Serious Commercial Investigation.
A complaint was laid against the accused, who was then practicing under Mmela and Associates. The accused was appointed to assist with Road Accident Fund claim on behalf of the complainant’s child. The accused submitted the claim to RAF, the claim was processed and payments were made into her Trust account. The accused redirected the money to someone else’s account and claimed to have made the payments into the victims guardian account.
The accused was arrested on 20 September 2022 following investigations. She appeared before the Middelburg Magistrates’ Court on 21 September 2022 where she was released on R25 000.00 bail. The case was then postponed to 05 December 2022 for further investigation, and that’s when the accused disappeared and failed to appear on the given date. Media statement was released on Wednesday, 21 February 2024, requesting public assistance in locating the accused. The public assisted, and the accused was traced and arrested around Pretoria. She was denied bail and remanded in custody. While in custody, more victims came forth, and three more counts of theft of RAF money were added against her.
The accused was sentenced to ten years direct imprisonment on four counts of theft of RAF money by the Middelburg Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday, 20 November 2025.
