MBABANE – A former chief clerk and her husband, implicated in the alleged theft of E2.3 million from Pick Yours Supermarket in Buhleni, have been granted bail fixed at E50 000 each by the High Court.
Presiding over the matter, High Court Judge Justice Mavuso ordered both accused persons to pay E10 000 in cash and provide sureties for the remaining balance.
The former employee, Sebenele Shakoane, was arrested alongside her husband, Muntu Matsebula, on Friday, September 4, 2026. They face criminal charges connected to funds belonging to Khabo Ndlovu and his business, Khabo Investments, trading as Pick Yours Supermarket in Buhleni.
In a confirmatory affidavit attached to their urgent bail application, Shakoane claimed that her former employer’s girlfriend was previously suspected of stealing E1.3 million of the total sum involved. Shakoane alleged that the girlfriend was employed at the supermarket until her dismissal in 2022 over business-related allegations, yet no criminal charges were ever preferred against her.
Shakoane further challenged the legal foundation of the financial loss claimed by Ndlovu.
She submitted that there was no lawful mechanism or audit conducted to confirm the actual loss incurred by the business, as required by law.
Supporting the urgent bail application, Matsebula detailed the events surrounding their arrest by police officers at approximately 4:00am on September 4. He stated that the money subject to the criminal charges is identical to the funds involved in asset preservation proceedings under High Court Case No. 845/2026.
According to Matsebula, the couple had successfully applied to rescind a preservation order previously granted under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) of 2018. Although the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) appealed that decision, the couple subsequently applied for leave to execute the rescission order. Judgment on that application was reserved by Judge Bonginkhosi Magagula on September 1, 2026. Matsebula alleged that after a subsequent ex parte application by the DPP for a fresh preservation order was refused, police proceeded to arrest them. He argued that no new or independent evidence of theft had been produced, contending that the State was using criminal proceedings to achieve what it had failed to secure in civil proceedings – namely, depriving the couple of access to and control over the disputed funds.
The couple also challenged the procedural lawfulness of their detention. Matsebula pointed out that following their arrest, they were held at Buhleni Police Station and CID offices before appearing at the Buhleni Circuit Court on the following Tuesday. He argued that this delay violated the constitutional requirement to bring detained persons before a court within 48 hours, signalling bad faith and an abuse of the criminal process. Shakoane added that their prolonged detention left their two very young children under the care of an elderly mother-in-law who struggles to manage them. The couple is represented by Martin ‘Internash’ Dlamini of Martin M. Dlamini Attorneys. Crown Counsel Brian Ngwenya appeared for the DPP. According to the charge sheet, the prosecution has instituted three counts against the couple:
Count one (Theft): Accuses Shakoane of stealing E1 325 801.98 in cash between April 2022 and July 2024 while employed as Chief Cashier at Pick Yours Supermarket.
Count two (Fraud): Accuses Shakoane of defrauding the supermarket of E977 288.01 during the same period by manipulating end-of-day reconciliations and speed point devices from First National Bank and Standard Bank.
Count three (Money laundering): Accuses both Shakoane and Matsebula under the Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Prevention) Act of 2011. The State alleges they acted jointly to acquire, possess or conceal the total sum of E2 303 089.99, knowing it derived from unlawful activity.
Leave a comment