POLOKWANE – Mbhazima, a former Department of Education Assistant Director in Limpopo has been sentenced to four years imprisonment with an option of a R160 000 fine, half of which is suspended for five years by the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on 10 May 2018.
According to provincial Hawks spokesperson, Captain Matimba Maluleke, Mbhazima was arrested in May 2017 by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Investigation Unit.
“He was arrested for demanding R4 400 from a University of Venda student who had applied for a bursary, in order to approve the said application,” Maluleke explained.
Mbhazima was granted R 1000 bail and made a series of court appearances which culminated in the recent conviction and sentence.
Raeesa Sempe is a Caxton Award-winning Digital Editor with nine years’ experience in the industry. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and started her journey as a community journalist for the Polokwane Review in 2015. She then became the online journalist for the Review in 2016 where she excelled in solidifying the Review’s digital footprint through Facebook lives, content creation and marketing campaigns. Raeesa then moved on to become the News Editor of the Bonus Review in 2019 and scooped up the Editorial Employee of the Year award in the same year. She is the current Digital Editor of the Polokwane Review-Observer, a position she takes pride in. Raeesa is married with one child and enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music and baking – when she has the time. “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." – Tom Stoppard
