The Eastern Cape most wanted escapee Neliswa Elizabeth Nofilita-Tantsi (53) was arrested in the North West Province on Tuesday, 17 September 2025. Nofilita-Tantsi spent years on the run for her alleged role in a massive fraud and tax evasion scheme linked to the Road Accident Fund (RAF). She was accused of the allegations of defrauding the South African Revenue Service (SARS) of over R1.5 million. The massive hunt started in August 2024, as she got arrested this week by Hawks and was brought back to East London to face justice. She had been circulated across the media as one of the Hawks most wanted suspects.
Hawks spokesman in the Eastern Cape, Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba confirmed Nofilita-Tantsi’s re-arrest stating that the arrest came after a long history of evasion. He revealed that Nofilita-Tantsi was first arrested in February 2021, on charges of six counts of Fraud and Contravention of the Tax Administrative Act. She was accused of making false claims to SARS between 20214 and 2015, pretending she was not trading and had collected Value Added Tax (VAT). Investigations later revealed that she was actively trading, collected VAT and failed to pay SARS, leaving the tax authority short by over R1.5 million.
Meanwhile, after the initial court appearance, she absconded and disappeared. A J165 warrant of arrest was issued and later converted to J50 when repeated attempts to trace her failed. For years, she lived as a fugitive ignoring appeals to surrender and slipping through multiple attempts to locate her.
Furthermore, the Provincial Head of Hawks, Major General Obed Ngwenya commended the investigators for their perseverance in tracking down the accused person. “The arrest sends a clear message that you can run, but you cannot hide. No matter how long it takes, the Hawks will track you down,” boasted Ngwenya.
