Fraudulent farmer gets 25 years

The 25-year sentence handed to a Free State farmer for fraud should set the pace for dealing with corruption in South Africa, experts believe.

Last week, Cornelius Andries Loggenberg, 37, was sentenced to 427 years’ imprisonment after being convicted on 20 counts of theft and six counts of fraud by the Free State High Court in Kroonstad.

He would effectively serve 25 years in prison after the judge ordered the sentences to run concurrently.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman Phaladi Shuping said Loggenberg’s fate was sealed by a combination of the extent of damage inflicted and the amount of money involved in his crimes.

Loggenberg farmed on a property called Kirkdale in Koppies. His farming activities included a dairy herd. He expanded his operation by leasing 2 136 Holstein cattle from various farmers over seven years.

Instead of meeting his contractual obligations, Loggenberg conned the owners into thinking their cattle were well looked-after when he had sold some of them between 2009 and 2013, making millions of rands.

“Considering that fraud is a serious crime and the total value of the cattle involved was over R25 million... That is a lot of money, so that is why the state was pushing for a higher sentence,” said Shuping

It was not unusually harsh, he said, as the minimum sentence for fraud was 15 years.

Loggenberg was convicted of 20 counts of fraud with the crimes aggravated by the devastating effects it had on those he conned.

Shuping added the NPA hoped to secure more such commercial crime convictions.