Bushbuckridge ex-post office branch manager admits to Sassa grant theft, forfeits pension funds in court ruling.
A former post office manager lost more than R140 000 from her pension payout after colluding with accomplices to steal Sassa funds from needy beneficiaries.
Lucia Mashego, a former branch manager of the Shatale Post Office in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, has received an eight-year prison sentence for fraud.
This sentence is suspended for five years, contingent upon her not being convicted of a similar offence during that period.
Ex-post office branch boss pleaded guilty to Sassa fraud
This comes after the wheelchair-bound woman pleaded guilty to all 60 charges on 27 May 2025.
The Mpumalanga Specialised Commercial Crimes Court also ordered the Asset Forfeiture Unit to recover R146 897.05 from her pension fund.
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Mashego colluded with a teller, Thandeka Dibakwane, and a private person, Precious Nyathi, to steal from Sassa beneficiaries without their knowledge.
She made duplicate Sassa cards and gave them to Dibakwane, who then handed them to Nyathi to unlawfully withdraw money from various ATMs.
According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Sassa beneficiaries lost R250 000 through these unlawful withdrawals.
Beneficiaries lost R250k
The Hawks’ Nelspruit-based serious corruption investigation unit handled the case.
Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi said another post office teller, Virginia Phoku, took advantage of the situation and created duplicate cards after seeing the illegal activity.
Phoku was found guilty and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for five years on condition that she is not convicted of a similar offence during January 2025.
The other two accused, Dibakwane and Nyathi, are expected to appear before the Commercial Crime Court on Wednesday, 13 August 2025.
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