The specialised commercial crimes court in Port Elizabeth has given an admin clerk a bookkeeping lesson.

Rhonda Zeelie, 37, was handed a seven-year prison sentence on Friday for stealing hundreds of  thousands of rand from her previous employer, Chris Bury Appliances. She was convicted of one count of fraud and one count of theft.

Hawks spokesperson Capt Lloyd Ramovha said Zeelie was arrested in May 2019 after her employer complained.  

“The investigation revealed that in her capacity as an administrator she stole about R470,000 from the beginning of 2016 to May 2018 by unlawfully transferring funds from the business bank account into her own. She then 'cooked the books' in a futile attempt to mask her dishonest transactions,” said Ramovha.

She was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for fraud and two years for theft.

TimesLIVE