FUNERAL CLERK ALLEGEDLY DIVERTED R900 000 IN CLIENT CLAIMS

By LERATO PHOSISI

A 29-year-old payment clerk from Soshanguve appeared in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court this week accused of siphoning nearly R900 000 from grieving families by redirecting funeral insurance payouts into her own bank account.

Jeanet Dineo Motau, employed at Baroka Funerals, faces a charge of theft after an internal audit uncovered a trail of duplicated payments stretching from 7 May 2025 to 23 May 2026.

Prosecutors allege shereplaced beneficiaries’ banking details with her own before processingclaims, ensuring the money landed in her personal account instead ofreaching clients owed funeral benefits.

The scheme unravelled on 27 May when Baroka’s Chief Operations Officerand his team reviewed past claim documents and noticed several payoutshad been processed more than once all into the same account linked toMotau.

The company reported the matter to police that day. Motau handedherself in at Sunnyside Police Station the following morning. The case highlights a grim vulnerability in financial administration: when trust replaces verification, money meant for bereavement costs canvanish with a few keystrokes.

For families navigating loss, the allegedtheft strikes at both their finances and their peace of mind.Motau has not yet entered a formal plea. The court postponed the matterto 5 June 2026 for bail investigations.

If convicted, she faces seriouspenalties under South Africa’s theft and fraud statutes, with courtsoften treating breaches of fiduciary duty involving vulnerable clientsas aggravating factors.

Baroka Funerals says it is cooperating with investigators and reviewinginternal controls to prevent a repeat. For the insurance and funeralindustry at large, the allegations are a reminder that grief andbureaucracy create gaps and where gaps exist, accountability mustfollow.