A woman has been accused of orchestrating what the court described as a prolonged and calculated car-import scam allegedly swindling over half a million Emalangeni from unsuspecting clients.
The suspect underwent a stern and uncompromising rebuke from Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi during the continuation of her trial at the Mbabane Magistrate’s Court.
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Nelisiwe Precious Dlamini (33) of Esiphambanweni, Hluthi is facing 20 counts of theft by false pretenses, all linked to her alleged activities as a director of a company known as Yetser Investments.
According to the charge sheet, the company purported to assist local clients in purchasing secondhand vehicles from Japan at competitive prices. Instead, the court heard, clients allegedly paid large sums of money but never received the promised vehicles or any refunds.
The case, which began in 2018, returned to court for continuation of trial where Dlamini had been expected to present proof of payments she claimed to have made to the complainants.
However, before proceedings could even begin, Principal Magistrate Nhlabatsi expressed deep dissatisfaction with how the matter had dragged on for seven years. She reprimanded both the accused and the prosecution for what she described as unjustified delays and a glaring lack of progress.
“The prosecutor and you accused person, are not the court. This matter has been pending since 2018 and I am being taken for a ride. The complainants came to court because they wanted their money back”, Nhlabatsi said sternly.
The magistrate reminded Dlamini that the court had previously ordered her to repay complainants, and she had been given ample time to do so but she allegedly failed to be responsible. The court also expressed disapproval of the accused’s previous claim that she gave E5 000 to the prosecutor for distribution to complainants.
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The charge sheet further stated that Dlamini allegedly used the same method across all 20 counts: she would assure clients that Yetser Investments would secure vehicles from Japan, request upfront payment, and then fail to deliver. The amounts paid ranged from E5 500 to E75 500 per complainant, creating a combined total of E561 579.
On count one, Dlamini allegedly misrepresented to Siboniso Banjes that a vehicle would be imported on his behalf, leading him to deposit E39 800. Count two alleges that she used the same misrepresentation to obtain E58 000 from Lucky Mnisi. Count three states that she induced Elnett Skosana to pay E41 203, while count four accuses her of taking E34 470 from Thembani Ndlela. Count five alleges that the accused misrepresented to Sizakele Gamedze that a vehicle would be imported for her, leading to a payment of E35 000. Count six alleges that she obtained E19 000 from Nomfundo Thwala, while count seven states that she allegedly received E15 000 from Misela Nkhambule.
Count eight relates to E20 824 allegedly taken from Ntombifuthi Mahlalela, and count nine states that she obtained E25 804 from Sarah Dlamini.
Count ten alleges that Dlamini received E7 790 from Leonard Dlamini under similar circumstances, while count eleven states that she took E25 000 from Girlie Mamba. Count twelve alleges another E25 000 taken from Themba Sifiso Dlamini, and count thirteen states that she obtained E10 000 from Mcalisi Ernest Mamba.
On count fourteen, she is accused of fraudulently obtaining E5 500 from Khulisani Motsa. Count sixteen alleges that she took E8 000 from Phindile Simelane for the same vehicle-import scheme, while count seventeen alleges she obtained the substantial amount of E75 500 from Charles Khoza. The final count, count twenty, states she received E6 000 from Sipho Dlamini.
When proceedings formally commenced, Principal Magistrate Nhlabatsi made it clear that her patience had run out. She stated that because Dlamini had failed to appear in court since June and had not produced the promised proof of payments, the court had no option but to remand her in custody.
“I will remand you in custody because you have not been coming to court since June. You were given enough time to make payments to the complainants. Instead, the court is still being given stories without evidence. The prosecutor has not submitted any proof of the payments you claim to have made. The court cannot allow this matter to continue in this manner,” she said.
In her response, Dlamini attempted to assure the court that she had entered into settlement agreements with some complainants and had intentions to reimburse them gradually. However, the Principal Magistrate dismissed the explanation, stressing that such agreements without proof of actual payments were meaningless in the context of a criminal trial.
“Settlement agreements are not payment, they do not return money to the complainants, nor do they resolve criminal charges. Justice is being delayed,” Nhlabatsi emphasised.
The court then adjourned the matter to allow the state to verify Dlamini’s claims, particularly regarding her allegation that she entrusted E5 000 to the prosecutor for distribution to complainants.
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