Staff member steals more than R1m from company

Pietermaritzburg - A staff member's theft of just over R1m from an electronics supply chain caused the company's four businesses to close and for its 70 staff to be retrenched, it emerged in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court this week.

Mother-of-three Delene Singh pleaded guilty to the theft of R1.031m, although she only benefited by R400 000 because a colleague who discovered the thefts shared the proceeds.

Initially two of the four Kay Makan Electronics branches were closed and 25 of the staff retrenched but later all the branches were closed and the remaining 25 staff, who were feeding more than 200 people, were retrenched.

Owner of the businesses, Kay Makan, said in a victim impact statement in court on Monday the theft came as a great shock and caused his health to deteriorate.

Singh said that when financial manager Shannilroy Baliram Batchu discovered she had stolen cheques he gave her a choice of exposing her or that she continued to steal cheques and pay him in part.

That was in 2008 and she continued doing so into 2011.

Advocate Brad Osborne told Magistrate S Jaynarain that her husband was out of work at times and only had temporary work.  He said that her situation justified deviation from the 15-year prescribed sentence.

Jaynarain adjourned the case to July 30 for sentencing procedures.