A spurned Gauteng businessman has accused his estranged wife, Mashudu Ndou-Ndlovu, of stealing a company they co-owned and syphoning millions of rand from City of Johannesburg entities, including waste management company Pikitup. Ndou-Ndlovu, who was allegedly born Ratidzai Zhou in Zimbabwe, is facing charges of fraud, corruption and false identity in two separate cases. She appeared briefly in the commercial crimes court in Palmridge, where her case was postponed to February, and remains in custody.
According to the provisional charge sheet, Ndou-Ndlovu allegedly assumed her new identity in 1998 with the assistance of her stepmother and married Elliot Ndlovu, the complainant in the two cases against her, in 2013. She became an authorised signatory on Velman Construction's Nedbank account, which she co-owned with her husband. The charge sheet alleges that she submitted fraudulent proxy and company documents to Nedbank and the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, resulting in Ndlovu being unlawfully removed as a company director.
Ndou-Ndlovu is accused of using intermediaries to deliver money to officials in Johannesburg at various locations, including a McDonald's restaurant and Pikitup premises. She allegedly submitted a fraudulent resolution to Nedbank, requesting an increase in the company's daily withdrawal limit from R500,000 to R5m. The document was purportedly signed by both Ndlovu and Ndou-Ndlovu. Elliot Ndlovu told the Sunday Times that an unexpected R7.8m payment from Joburg Market in May 2021 sparked a dispute that eventually saw him removed from the company.
Ndlovu claimed that he had not signed any tender documents or requests for quotations from Joburg Market that would warrant the payment. He said his wife could not provide a satisfactory explanation, leading to a disagreement that escalated into him being kicked out of their matrimonial home and served with a protection order. Joburg Market, however, denied any irregularity, stating that the payment was for four M20 sweeper and scrubbing machines that had been delivered to its premises.
Pikitup confirmed making a R10m payment to Velman Construction, but said it was for the provision of trucks on an ad hoc basis. The entity had a contractual relationship with Velman Construction to provide trucks as and when required. Pikitup spokesperson Anthony Selepe said the payment was made through the normal process, and according to documentation, this payment was for a service rendered by the service provider.
Joburg Market spokesperson Tshegofatso Maakwe confirmed that the entity had procured cleaning equipment from Velman Construction for R7.8m. The payment included transportation and delivery costs, and the machines had been delivered and remained at the market. Maakwe said a letter of appointment was issued to Velman Construction on February 21 2021, and delivery arrangements were confirmed for May 6 to 10 2021.
The Hawks confirmed that Ndou-Ndlovu had been arrested in connection with two separate cases, both of which remain under investigation. Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale said the cases were still being investigated, and the fraud and corruption matter had recently been assigned to a different investigating officer. Ndou-Ndlovu's case was postponed to February, and she remains in custody after bail was successfully opposed.
Key points
- Ndou-Ndlovu allegedly syphoned millions of rand from City of Johannesburg entities, including Pikitup, through Velman Construction.
- Ndou-Ndlovu is facing charges of fraud, corruption and false identity in two separate cases.
- The dispute between the couple involved multimillion-rand payments made to their company by Joburg Market and Pikitup.
