Burgersfort man sentenced to five years for vehicle finance fraud
A 32-year-old Burgersfort man has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for defrauding a financial institution through a fraudulent vehicle finance application.
Mahlatse David Tlaka was sentenced by the Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crime Court on 25 June 2026 after being found guilty of fraud. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
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According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Tlaka used fraudulent documents in March 2019 to secure finance for a vehicle worth R433,960 at a Toyota dealership in Burgersfort. His failure to honour the agreed instalments prompted the financing bank to investigate, leading to the discovery that the supporting documents submitted with the application were fraudulent.
Tlaka was arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit on 23 April 2023 following an extensive investigation.
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Limpopo Hawks Provincial Head, Major General Adv Gopz Govender, welcomed the sentence, saying it sends a strong message that fraud involving vehicle financing and financial institutions will not be tolerated.
