MATSAPHA – A six-month trail of missing sweets worth E1.8 million has ended with five arrests after an alleged stock theft scheme was uncovered in a Matsapha warehouse.
The suspects, including a supermarket owner and individuals linked to the warehouse operations, are accused of stealing various bulk stocks of Halls sweets and Chappies chewing gum from the Logico warehouse between January and June 2026.
The alleged theft was discovered on July 11, 2026, when warehouse checks were conducted and it was realised that a large quantity of stock had disappeared over several months.
According to sources, the missing stock was valued at E1.8 million. The five suspects were arrested following investigations into the alleged disappearance of the warehouse stock.
On the other hand, one of the international corporations in Matsapha is said to have reported to the police that it had been swindled out on about E1 million. The fraud, the corporation alleged, was committed by its marketing team through overpayment refunds.
When reporting the case to the police, this publication has gathered that the managing director of the international manufacturing giant reported that the entity had been allegedly defrauded E1 069 829.
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the arrests while stating that on the manufacturing company’s investigations, the suspect is yet to be arrested.
The latest incidents adds to a growing list of cases previously reported by the Times of Eswatini where employers have suffered significant financial losses after employees or trusted individuals were accused of stealing company property.
Recently, this publication reported that investigations into the theft of funds belonging to former mineworkers have uncovered that employees allegedly used their positions to make unauthorised withdrawals from clients’ accounts over an extended period.
The latest development came as police continued to investigate a string of criminal activities linked to The Employment Bureau of Africa (TeBA), including armed robberies that recently led to the arrest of a senior employee and an alleged accomplice.
Also, an employee of the Eswatini National Petroleum Company (ENPC) was investigated for allegedly defrauding the company of E120 000 through unauthorised payment channels.
The matter was discovered on April 30, 2026, when a company representative identified irregular financial transactions. The alleged offence is reported to have taken place in Mbabane.
According to information gathered, the employee allegedly diverted company funds by processing payments through unauthorised channels. It is further alleged that the transactions were done in a manner that bypassed official company accounts.
On the other hand, two former employees of MTN Eswatini were arrested and charged in connection with the theft of airtime stock valued at over E10.2 million.
The theft was reportedly committed between January 2024 and January 2026 when airtime stock amounting to E10 257 000 was illicitly siphoned from the company’s airtime distribution system in Ezulwini.
Zwelihle Khumalo (37) of KaDlovunga and NdabenhleNkosephayoDludlu (29) of Ntondozi were arrested and charged with the offence.The police said their arrest followed extensive investigations.
