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The scam reportedly involved soliciting payments from job-seeking educators with the promise of securing permanent employment.
Head of Department Nkosinathi Ngcobo at the Durban Central Police Station. Picture: X/@DBE_KZN
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has opened a criminal case following shocking allegations of a job scam involving the fraudulent sale of teaching posts.
Department head Nkosinathi Ngcobo laid a charge of fraud at the Durban Central Police Station on Thursday morning. The charge followed reports that an individual had allegedly been collecting money from educators in exchange for false promises of permanent teaching positions.
‘Zero tolerance’
“We, as the Department of Education, are fully aware of this and condemn this fraudulent behaviour in the strongest terms,” said Ngcobo.
“We have zero tolerance for fraud and corruption, and we are committed to rooting out any individuals who seek to exploit our education system for personal gain.”
While the department did not reveal the identity of the alleged scammer, it confirmed the suspect is believed to be an educator.
The scam reportedly involved soliciting payments from job-seeking teachers with the promise of securing permanent employment.
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Full cooperation with the police
Ngcobo emphasised that the department is working closely with law enforcement to ensure the matter is thoroughly investigated.
“We are cooperating fully with the law enforcement authorities to ensure that the investigation proceeds without delay, and that those responsible are held accountable for their fraudulent teacher job scams,” he said.
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Rise in fake job scams
Earlier this week, the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) slammed fake online advertisements targeting vulnerable job seekers with false promises of employment.
The agency responded to a post on X (formerly Twitter) that falsely advertised positions for “Finance Clerks 2025” and “Grant Administrators (x21)”, claiming salaries of R22 412 per month with no prior work experience required.
Both posters directed applicants to a website not associated with Sassa or any government department.
The posts listed locations such as Sassa’s head office in Pretoria and vaguely referenced “selected Sassa offices in South Africa.”
Sassa said in a post that it is aware of the fake adverts online.
For accurate information, the agency urged the public to visit its official website.
“Please note that all official Sassa vacancies are advertised only through our official website and trusted government platforms,” it said.
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