Former clinic employee must repay R80 000
Failure to comply with the terms will result in her immediate arrest and the criminal case will be reopened.
A measure of justice was served to Amazing Lipo Slimming Clinic owner Yolanda Welthagen at the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on August 6. Welthagen had been defrauded of R124 000 by an employee at the clinic. According to Welthagen, Mariska Bester had been in her employ since January 2016 and was a well-trusted employee. “I took her under my wing and never suspected that she had been siphoning money from the business. At the time I had only 15 per cent sight in both eyes and I relied heavily on her,” said Welthagen.
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A trip by Welthagen to Cape Town for an operation on her failing eyes provided Bester with the ideal opportunity to continue diverting funds into her personal account, instead of using the point of sale machine at the clinic. “It turned out that she would take cash or e-wallet to her personal account instead of using the system available at the clinic,” she continued. Once the deception was uncovered, Welthagen dug into financial statements and spoke to clients who confirmed her suspicions. “I contacted her and she naturally disputed everything in the face of the overwhelming evidence available pointing to her guilt.”
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Bester was arrested on fraud and theft charges. She was subsequently released on bail as the case resumed. Welthagen remained willing to settle the matter outside the legal system, but claims Bester screened her calls and blocked her on WhatsApp. This was when she decided to lay criminal charges. The matter went before the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court in 2016 and Bester was charged with fraud.
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The case was ongoing for four years. On August 6 the legal teams agreed to mediate. The terms of the mediation stipulate that Bester is to reimburse at least R80 000 through monthly payments of R2 000 over a period of three years. Failure to comply with the terms will result in her immediate arrest and the criminal case will be reopened. The experience has been a harrowing one for Welthagen as Bester would inform clients that the clinic had closed to justify accepting cash payments from them. “I have lost a tremendous amount in business as a result of this, but I would like former and future clients to know that the issue is behind me.
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