NORTHERN CAPE. – Pieter Andries Nel, a former lieutenant-colonel in the police, has been found guilty in the Upington regional court for serious commercial crimes on 80 counts of fraud and 80 of money laundering.
Lt. Col. Tebogo Thebe, Hawks spokesperson, says Nel was head of financial services at ZF Mgcawu police district and was responsible for authorising payments to service providers as well as travel and subsistence allowances for police members. According to the Hawks, Nel between 2022 and 2024 defrauded his employer by creating and approving fraudulent payments totalling more than R1.2 million. The money was allegedly paid into his personal bank account.
The Hawks investigation team arrested Nel on 28 May 2025 at his residence in Upington after a J50 warrant was issued. Nel was dismissed from the police on 12 September 2024 following a disciplinary process. The police subsequently deducted R1 258 636.88 from his pension to recover the amount.
The case has been postponed to two December for sentencing.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
