Hilson Thembinkosi Nxumalo (37), who is wheel-chair bound, was cautioned and discharged after pleading guilty to defrauding the Department of Labour’s Compensation Fund today in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.

Nxumalo was facing a charge of theft. Nxumalo of Rondebult near Germiston in Gauteng was out on a bail of R1000-00. He is alleged to have defrauded the Department of Labour of R5 400. He was accused of misrepresentation by using someone’s identity document (ID) to secure a job. He later got injured at work using the borrowed ID and lodged a successful claim with the department’s Compensation Fund.

The ID was later found not to be his as he was claiming under a false name, and payment was stopped.

The defence pleaded for a lighter sentence as the paraplegic (Nxumalo) was said to be a first time offender, unemployed and now that  he was wheel-chair bound because of his injuries he had slim chances of securing employment.  

The Compensation Fund is a public entity under the administration of Department of Labour responsible to cover workers injured during work or who sustain diseases during the course of their occupation.

Issued by Department of Labour