Ex-bank employee guilty of defrauding elderly farmer of R800k

An elderly Eastern Cape farmer did not live to see the former bank employee who stole over R800 000 from him being found guilty of theft.

However, after more than seven years of a trial plagued by delays, the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court found the evasive 53-year-old Leonie Stella Stiemie guilty of stealing from Andries David Renken.

Stiemie, a former branch administrator at FNB Kirkwood, unlawfully stole R400 000 from Renken’s FNB Deeds Box and R420 000 from his bank account, resulting in her conviction.

Over R800k stolen from elderly farmer

Between 2011 and February 2015, Stiemie convinced the then 87-year-old farmer from Kirkwood, officially Nqweba, to store R400 000 in a Deeds Box at FNB.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Regional Spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the farmer had previously kept money from his farming business operations at home but decided it wasn’t safe.

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“Trusting Stiemie, who regularly assisted him at the bank, he agreed to store the funds in the FNB Deeds Box,” said Tyali.

“Clients are procedurally given two keys, but Renken never received any keys nor was he asked to sign a custody agreement.”

Bank employee lied and said money was invested

In August 2014, the farmer asked about the money, and the ex-branch administrator claimed she had invested half of it on his behalf.

Renken visited the branch again in February 2015 but discovered that Stiemie no longer worked there. When Stiemie heard about Renken’s visit, she went to his home.

Initially, she claimed that a robber at the branch had stolen the money. However, investigators later confirmed that no boxes had been stolen.

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“After admitting to taking the money, Stiemie offered to repay it in instalments of R666 per month. Renken rejected her offer, citing the number ‘666’ as the ‘devil’s number’,” Tyali said.

“Stiemie only partially repaid Renken, returning R21 000.”

During the trial, Stiemie denied making arrangements to repay the elderly man, claiming that she had been under heavy medication when she visited the victim’s home.

Stiemie denied making repayment arrangements

Tyali added that Renken’s testimony, despite his advanced age, played a key role in Stiemie’s conviction. The court admitted the elderly farmer’s testimony as truthful and the only probable version.

However, the defence delayed the trial for three years by postponing proceedings to procure a handwriting specialist to counter the state’s claim that a deposit slip related to the theft had been forged.

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A handwriting analyst for the state confirmed that the signature was Stiemie’s, not Renken’s.

The trial faced further delays because the prosecutor who initially handled the case passed away in 2021.

Renken died before the judgment

Renken sadly died before Wednesday’s judgment was delivered, but the case was postponed to 11 February 2025 for sentencing proceedings.

Steimie was granted R1 000 bail pending the sentence. The court requires her to report to the Kirkwood police station twice a week, surrender her travel documents to the NPA, and refrain from applying for any additional travel documents.

The NPA said it remains committed to holding individuals in positions of trust accountable for their actions and will pray for the court to pass a fittingly punitive sentence.

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