A Trust Betrayed

Kirstie Voogt is trying to pick up the pieces of her life after her stepmom stole more than R11 million from her employer & gambled it away

- Jana Van Der Merwe

Standing in the dock of the East London court, she felt betrayed and brokenhearted. She knew she was innocent but here she was, accused of complicity in a fraud case involving millions of rands.

And it was all because of the woman she regarded as more of a “big sister” than her stepmother, a mentor – someone she believed would always be on her side.

But Retha Voogt (47) had used Kirstie Leigh Voogt (27) as a pawn in her scheme, using the younger woman’s bank account to channel some of the R11 million she stole from the Road Accident Fund.

Kirstie is picking up the pieces of her life after fraud charges against her were dismissed – but the scars run deep.

Retha had been an important figure in her life, Kirstie tells us via video call from her East London flat.

Kirstie’s parents divorced when she was two years old and five years later her dad, Alec (51), married Retha. Retha acted as the mediator as Kirstie and Alec tried to build a relationship and even helped Kirstie pay for her studies and helped her land her first job.

Kirstie, who’s a senior auditor, worked at Moore Stephens PDB (now Moore East London), a firm that helps beneficiaries of the Road Accident Fund manage their trust funds.

But everything fell apart when it emerged Retha was living a double life as a gambler and fraudster and had dragged Kirstie into the mess.

Retha was charged with embezzling R11,5 million in trust funds over a period of five years which she blew in a casino.

Initially, Kirstie was also charged, along with her half-sister, Seanna (21), her dad Alec, Alec’s sister, Bernie van Eeden, and Retha’s mother, Theresa Coetzee.