Mbabane – Sikelela Eric Simelane was sentenced to five years in prison without the option of a fine after admitting to defrauding the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) of E128,482.12. The sentence was delivered today at the Mbabane Magistrates Court by Magistrate Sifiso Vilakati.
Simelane unlawfully continued to receive a surviving spouse’s pension from May 12, 2015, to October 2019 despite having remarried. According to PSPF rules, pension payments stop upon remarriage—a fact Simelane acknowledged when he signed official documents. The fund discovered his remarriage on May 12, 2015. Simelane admitted he did not report the change, leading to continued pension payments until October 2019 when they were stopped.
Of the five-year sentence, two years are suspended on condition that Simelane pays the PSPF E15,000. Magistrate Vilakati noted the PSPF had tried to settle the matter outside court by offering a monthly repayment plan of E300. However, Simelane failed to maintain payments despite submitting two letters asking for consideration.
Previously, Simelane suggested unconventional repayment options including farming dagga and selling an ox. The court rejected the dagga plan because it is illegal and Simelane lacked the required permit. When asked why he did not disclose his remarriage, Simelane said he married a young woman who had come to care for his late wife’s child, but she later left him.
Magistrate Vilakati said the prison sentence should serve as a strong warning that crime does not pay.
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