Eight education employees accused of fraud, theft, corruption and money laundering appeared in the Nelspruit Specialised Commercial Crimes Court yesterday.

The Nelspruit-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit recently closed the net on Mpumalanga education department employees Johans Mandla Mathabela, Soneti Prudence Mabila, Nikiwe Monica Mashabane, Samuel Mutshweni, Nenesia Mnisi and Thailand Sigag, along with early childhood development centre directors Sibongile Linah Mathabela and Gloria Mhlanga, serving them with a summons to appear in court.

The six department employees had allegedly colluded with the two private sector directors to defraud Mpumalanga’s education department of an undisclosed amount of money.

“It is alleged that the six Department of Education employees, in collusion with the directors of two different early childhood development centres situated in Masoyi, acted in a common purpose to unlawfully, falsely and with intention defraud and cause prejudice to the Mpumalanga Department of Education,” says Warrant Officer Thandi Tshabalala.

The accused allegedly misrepresented facts and documents that enabled the two early childhood development centres to fraudulently qualify for subsidies from the province’s education department.

The matter was postponed to October 14 for two of the accused to obtain legal representation.