Couple and relative accused in alleged R27 million COVID-19 TERS fraud granted bail totalling R603 000 after appearing in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court.
A married couple and a relative accused in a multi-million-rand COVID-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) fraud case have been granted bail totaling R603 000 after appearing in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, May 18, 2026.
Fumu Mkalira Msiska, 48, a Malawian-born permanent South African resident, and his wife, Gladness Msiska Mkhonto, 48, were each granted bail of R300 000. Their co-accused, 39-year-old Bongani Zoran Mkhonto, was granted bail of R3 000.
The trio face charges linked to an alleged R26.9 million fraud scheme involving more than 700 ghost employees and former workers under the COVID-19 TERS programme, which was administered by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) to support workers and businesses during the pandemic.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi said the accused handed themselves over to the Serious Corruption Investigation unit in Nelspruit on Sunday, May 17, 2026, following what authorities described as a lengthy joint investigation involving the Hawks, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), the UIF, and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU).
