July 01, 2025
EAST LONDON-Thobani Mabizela, the mastermind behind a multimillion-rand vehicle finance scam has been sentenced to nine years of direct imprisonment with no option of a fine. The 41-year-old was convicted in the East London Regional Court following a major breakthrough by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team.
Mabizela was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme that defrauded banks of over R4.6 million through fraudulent vehicle finance applications. Between January 2018 and February 2019, he supplied clients with fake payslips and bank statements to secure vehicle loans, resulting in the purchase of 13 vehicles in the Eastern Cape without a single repayment being made.
The Hawks’ investigation confirmed that Mabizela was the mastermind behind the syndicate and he was arrested in October 2019.
“A rigorous probing by the Hawks confirmed that Mabizela was the mastermind in a syndicate that caused banks to be prejudiced by aforementioned millions,” said Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana.
Mhlakuvana praised the investigating team for their diligence while Acting Provincial Head Brigadier Fernando Luis expressed gratitude for the team’s efforts in bringing Mabizela to justice.