SARS arrests Education department’s officials
Education officials and other individuals arrested for defrauding Sars of over R25 million.
KA NYAMAZANE- A total of 36 warrants of arrests were issued by the South African Revenue Services (Sars) against officials from the department of education who allegedly defrauded the department millions of rands.
According to the Sars, the first 25 officials were stationed at the department of education offices in Kanyamazane and the others include individuals from areas around KaBokweni.
On Sept 25 a team of Sars officials, Hawks and the police arrived at the Kanyamazane Circuit of education formerly known as Mngwenya circuit around 08:30 to execute their duies but apparently some of the suspects were tipped off about their arrests and many were not found in their offices.
After the intervention of the district’s management, all staff members were summoned to the hall where names of the wanted officials were called, most of whom were not present.
Their computers and hard drives were thoroughly searched by the members of the Hawks.
Capt Paul Ramaloko, the national spokesperson for the Hawks, also attended the recent arrest at Kanyamazane.
He told journalist that this was the first phase and many people including Sars officials are still to be arrested in the second phase.
“Some of the officials were found at school, while others were arrested at their education circuit offices and some handed themselves in through their lawyers. They allegedly defrauded the SARS through tax returns and the amount involved is over R25m,”
Ramoloko said the officials had been appearing in different magistrates courts since Friday on charges of fraud.
They appeared in KaBokweni, Bushbuckridge and Nelspruit Magistrate’s Courts.
Mpumalanga News journalists Mbekezeli Mbuli and Bongani Hlatshwayo conducted their own investigations last year and found that the scams of this nature were taking place in Pienaar, Clau Clau and in areas around Nkomazi Municipality.
This publication also learnt that some of the suspects were even boasting around about their actions of defrauding the department.By then, an investigation by Sars in Mpumalanga revealed that government employees mostly from the department of education, churchgoer’s even unemployed individuals, attempted to benefit from the scam.
“They even formed a society and printed T-shirts as if they were a legal entity,” a source said. The crimes were committed in 2012.
Court updates were not known at the time of going to print.
