She allegedly quietly siphoned off millions meant for school fees and teachers' salaries, using bogus invoices and private bank accounts to disguise the theft.
Hawks. Picture: Jacques Nelles
A former financial administrator at Kathu High School has been arrested on allegations that she quietly siphoned off about R4.6 million meant for school fees and teachers’ salaries. She allegedly used bogus invoices and private bank accounts to disguise the theft.
The 43-year-old woman was taken into custody on Thursday, 2 July 2026, by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team, assisted by their Serious Organised Crime counterparts.
Alleged scheme behind the staffroom door
According to the Hawks, the accused allegedly used her position in the school’s finance office to divert funds into private bank accounts she had set up, rather than into official school accounts.
The funds allegedly included normal school fees and donor contributions which are supposed to cover School Governing Body (SGB) teachers’ salaries.
The alarm was first raised in October 2025, when an audit uncovered irregularities in Kathu High’s financial records.
Investigators from the Directorate say their probe revealed a pattern of fictitious invoices created in the names of supposed school suppliers, with payments authorised and then channelled into the accused’s personal account.
Ghost suppliers and self-approved overtime
The Hawks allege that these fake invoices were designed to appear to be legitimate school expenses, masking the flow of money from the school into the administrator’s pocket.
It is further claimed that she paid herself overtime in defiance of school policy, which explicitly prohibits such payments for her position.
The combination of forged documentation, false authorisations and diverted payments forms the basis of the charges of fraud, forgery and uttering now facing the former administrator.
Court appearance
The accused is expected to appear in the Kathu Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 3 July, for a possible bail application. The Hawks have indicated that their investigation into the full extent of the alleged embezzlement is ongoing and that more details may emerge as the case proceeds.
