A Johannesburg woman wanted in connection with the theft of R36m allegedly siphoned from the estate of the late Zimbabwean businessman and socialite Obert Karombe was nabbed when she went to report a case of domestic violence.
Nomaphelo Seti, 28, her Cameroonian boyfriend Rody Martial Nzeya, 43, and Thabiso Matenda appeared at the Makhado magistrate's court in Limpopo on Monday on charges of theft.
They are believed to be part of a syndicate that targets estates of deceased people.
Police arrested Seti and Nzeya on Friday last week in Booysens, Johannesburg, after Seti went to make a complaint of assault against her partner.
It is alleged that they fought over the R5.5m share they received from Matenda, a bank consultant who worked at FNB in Makhado.
Matenda is said to have been the mastermind who identified the millions in Karombe's account and hatched a plan to steal from it using a spoof bank account he had created and used to transfer money to various other accounts, including R3m donated to a church in Tzaneen.
The Hawks arrested Matenda in June after he resigned from his job when he was approached by his managers about possible fraud.
He remained in custody after being denied bail by the Makhado magistrate's court two weeks ago.
Karombe died in a car crash in Zimbabwe on April 25 and Matenda is alleged to have stolen the money in a single transaction the following day, said a source close to the investigation.
