Teachers charged for over R25 million fraud

During the month of February, members from the Durban Commercial Crime Unit arrested 19 teachers for fraud after criminal cases were opened and handed over to the unit for further investigation, Public Eye reported.

In 2009, following an initiative by the department of education, it was found some teachers did not possess matric certificates, and when they applied for employment, they produced fraudulent matric certificates.

Moreover, some educators allegedly furthered their education at tertiary level using the same fraudulent matric certificates, which resulted in the department increasing their salaries after they obtained their teaching diplomas.

There were also others who had legitimate matric certificates but obtained fraudulent tertiary qualifications, which also entitled them to an increase in salary, said police.

Police conducted their investigation and travelled as far as KaNgwanase, Nongoma, Ngwavuma, Dumbe and Jozini, where a total of 19 teachers were arrested.

The suspects were charged for fraud, with the collective estimated value of over R25 million.

It is believed some of the arrested teachers had already been dismissed by the department, while others were still teaching.

All the arrested teachers appeared at the Durban Commercial Crime Court and are out on bail.

The provincial commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal, Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, commended the Commercial Crime Unit for their dedication towards rooting out white-collar crimes.

In a separate incident, a Zimbabwean national accused of running a bogus FET college in Tzaneen, Limpopo, was arrested for fraud in October last year.

The 26-year-old man faced charges of fraud involving more than R1.1 million, identity fraud for using a false South African identity document and contravening the Immigration Act, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said.

The man was arrested on Friday in Mpumalanga after more than a year on the run, Mulaudzi said.

– Caxton News Service