Former Isuzu Motors payroll administrator convicted of stealing R10.5 million - IOL

Former Isuzu payroll administrator Natasja Slabbert has been convicted of R10.5m fraud.

A former Isuzu Motors payroll administrator has been convicted of fraud after diverting more than R10.5 million in company funds through a sophisticated payroll manipulation scheme.

Natasja Slabbert, 42, was found guilty of fraud in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Gqeberha on Monday, November 2, following an extensive investigation by the Hawks' Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit.

Provincial Hawks spokesperson Captain Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said the case stems from a payroll fraud scheme uncovered at Isuzu Motors' Struandale premises in Gqeberha after the company's financial manager detected irregularities during a routine payroll reconciliation.

Mhlakuvana said the discrepancies came under further scrutiny in 2024 when several employees raised concerns about differences between their expected net salaries and the amounts reflected on their payslips.

"A subsequent examination of the August 2024 payroll revealed a suspicious transaction of R626 500, which had been transferred from the company’s payroll bank account into Slabbert’s personal bank account," said Mhlakuvana.

At the time, Slabbert was responsible for administering the company's payroll system.

Mhlakuvana said a subsequent forensic investigation revealed that Slabbert manipulated payroll-related records and exploited weaknesses in the company's third-party payment processes to divert funds.

The investigation established that inflated and duplicated amounts were processed through a third-party payment service provider under the guise of legitimate payroll deductions and contributions.

The transactions were disguised as legitimate financial obligations, enabling the systematic misappropriation of company funds.

The matter was subsequently handed over to the Hawks for further investigation.

The investigation established that Isuzu Motors suffered a financial loss of R10,525,747.13 as a result of the scheme.

Slabbert was arrested in February 2026 and later appeared in court, where she was released on R5,000 bail.

Following several court appearances, she was convicted on Monday.

The matter has been postponed to December 7, 2026, for pre-sentencing proceedings.