WESTERN CAPE – Siyasanga Miya (39), is headed to prison after pleading guilty to using cloned credit cards as payments at various shops around Western Cape.
Miya was sentenced to thirteen years on 280 counts of fraud of which six years is suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of fraud and theft during the period of suspension. He was further ordered to serve a concurrent five years of which is wholly suspended for 5 years on 34 counts of contravening the Electronic communications Act (ECT).
His co-accused Simphiwe Bulana was sentenced to 5 years wholly suspended for 5 years on 95 counts of fraud as well as 24 months correctional supervision. Furthermore, he was sentenced to 5 years suspended for 5 years on 18 counts of contravening the Electronic Communications Act.
This comes after the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime team in Cape Town took over cases related to a possible syndicate operating in the Western Cape regarding to cloned credit cards.
The probe resulted in Siyasanga Miya and Simphiwe Bulana being arrested for the crime spree that took place during 2018.
Prior to the arrest of Siyasanga Miya on the above mentioned cases he was awaiting trial on another Table Bay harbour related matter with Simphiwe Bulana. Cases were centralized in the Commercial Crimes Court.
The court has taken into consideration that Miya has been in custody since his arrest in 2020, meaning he is to effectively serve the remaining five years imprisonment.
Additionally, both accused were declared unfit to possess a firearm.