Morwesi Theledi‘s fall from grace could be straight from the pages of a non-fiction novel. The 34-year-old was a bank supervisor at a well-known South African bank before succumbing to the allure of easy money.
Theledi’s middle-class upbringing and comfortable lifestyle came crashing down after she was approached by regular bank clients in 2008.
“After these clients approached me in 2008 to commit bank fraud to the amount of almost 3 million Rands, they wooed me by settling my debts, giving me shopping vouchers and sponsoring holiday trips, ” she said.
The reality set in after they demanded she conducts the illegal transaction. Her refusal prompted them to threaten her family and children.
According to Theledi, “I was afraid for my family and children’s lives and accessed the banking system to complete the transaction.
“After about an hour or so, my conscience dictated that I increase the amount which would automatically end the transaction.”
This act led to her arrest and detention at the Mondeor Police Station, with police demanding to know who her cohorts were.
“They told me that they would hurt my child if I mentioned their names in court, so I chose to lie by withholding that information,” she added.
The omission cost her ten years in the South African penal system, but her silence saved the lives of her children.
Her time in prison helped Theledi realise the magnitude of her crime and the impact on the lives of her two children.
Theledi said, “I would need to someday explain to my 11-year-old why I missed out on his first day of school and tell my six-year-old why he was born behind bars.
“I gave birth to him while chained and spending 16 hours a day in locked up.”
Hers is a cautionary tale to young women to avoid the lure of easy money and life in the fast lane.
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Video Caption: Morwesi Theledi (video by Enver Wessels).
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