CAPE TOWN – Five suspects were arrested on charges of fraud, theft and money laundering today, 27 January 2026. The arrest was a collaborative effort between the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation based in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape.
The five accused, Faris Monan (37), Sihaam Tifloen (37), Nicholas Cloete (46), Edward Marais (59) and Anthea Marais (48) appeared at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court this afternoon.
Monan, Tifloen and Cloete were released on R50,000 bail each, whilst the Marais couple were remanded in custody.
The matter was remanded until tomorrow, 28 January 2026.
According to Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba, between 2015 and 2018, Pro Khaya, a construction company based in Gqeberha, wanted to expand their business to Cape Town where they employed one of the accused, a qualified quantity surveyor, as a branch manager.
“The accused allegedly abused his position by establishing his own private company that offered the same services as the parent company,” he said.
Fumba added that through a meticulous investigation conducted by the Hawks, the branch manager strategically identified subcontractors who colluded with him to facilitate fictitious invoices for payments to be paid by the parent company.
“It was further alleged that the subcontractors in turn would make payments back to his private company. The estimated loss amounted to R12 million,” he said, adding that more arrests are imminent.
