Odendaal was further sentenced to two years imprisonment wholly suspended for a period of five years, on condition that he is not convicted of contravention of section 34 (1) of the Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act (PRECCA) committed during the period of suspension and that he subject himself to one year correctional supervision in terms of section 276(1) (h) of the Criminal Procedure Act, 51 of 1977.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Lumka Mahanjana said Odendaal was convicted and sentenced after entering into a plea and sentence agreement with the State in terms of section 105A of the Criminal Procedure Act.

“In his capacity as the Group Audit Executive, Odendaal was negligent in that he ought to have suspected that other employees within Steinhoff group committed fraud therefore did not report to the police. Where on 21 November 2016 Iwan Peter Schelbert ( while acting on instructions from the then Chief Financial Officer, Andries Benjamin La Grange, he generated a fraudulent invoice to TG Sources SARL, a company based in Martigny, Switzerland.

“Following the generation of the invoice, Stephanus Johannes Grobler and others created supporting documentation and caused payments to be affected to falsely represent that the invoice reflected a legitimate transaction between Steinhoff at Work and TG Sources SARL. This fraudulent scheme resulted in the inflation of Steinhoff’s financial statements by more than R376 million,” she said.

The NPA said this conviction and sentence, which marks the fourth conviction secured in the Steinhoff matter.

“This outcome demonstrates the commitment of the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigations (DPCI)and the NPA to holding perpetrators accountable in one of the largest and most complex corporate fraud cases in South Africa’s history. The investigation and prosecution of this matter required extensive collaboration and technical expertise due to its scale and complexity. It is to be noted that the NPA takes these nature of cases serious. Each case is treated according to its merits. The plea bargains do not militate against the seriousness of these offences,” she said.

The National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Advocate Andy Mothibi said: “These outcomes should demonstrate to the public that NPA will continue to prosecute all cases whether in public or private sector without fear , favour or prejudice.”

The case against the remaining accused, Stephanus Johannes Grobler (64), has been postponed to 14 May 2026 for further proceedings.

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On 21 April 2023, Acting Judge Gusha discharged the accused in the Nulane case in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act. The SCA has ordered that the accused may be tried before a different judge.

The accused who were discharged are Iqbal Sharma and his company Nulane Investment, former head of Free State Department of Agriculture (FSDoA), Peter Thabethe, former head of FSDoA Limakatso Moorosi, former FSDoA Chief Financial Officer Seipati Dhlamini, Ronica Ragavan and the company she represents owned by the Guptas Islandsite Investment, and Dinesh Patel who is Sharma’s brother-in-law and a representative of Nulane Investment.

After a thorough interrogation of Acting Judge Gusha’s judgment, the IDAC team took the view that the judge erred in applying the test applicable in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act. This SCA judgment confirms our view that the Acting Judge misdirected herself in applying the relevant principles with regard to the case and erred in her strong criticism of the prosecution team.

This judgment paves the way for IDAC to reinstate the case within a reasonable period. The NPA remains resolute in its stance of effectively prosecuting and holding accountable those responsible for state capture-related corruption.

Beyond this important case, IDAC has made significant progress in its efforts to ensure accountability for serious and complex corruption and related crimes stemming from the state capture era. It has enrolled 50 cases, declared 133 investigations and partnered with the Asset Forfeiture Unit to obtain freezing and preservation orders amounting to R14.3 billion with R8.2 billion in confiscation orders deposited to the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA).

It has made progress on several other matters and aims to enroll several new cases in the coming months. Since becoming permanent and with requisite criminal investigative powers in August 2024, IDAC has expanded its capacity to enable it to deliver effectively on its prosecution-led mandate. It also has established an innovative partnership giving it access to a world-class digital evidence unit that bolsters its ability to extract data from encrypted digital devices to be used as admissible evidence in its cases.

Convictions in complex corruption cases take time, and not just in South Africa. The NPA is making steady and important progress in this endeavor and will continue to execute its mandate without fear, favour or prejudice.

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