Court gives suspended sentence to Amersfoort teacher with fake matric certificate
The Mpumalanga Department of Education suffered a financial loss of more than R1.1m as a result of Nomalanga Labane’s fraudulent activities.
The Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation based in Secunda has successfully investigated and secured a conviction and sentence against 43-year-old Nomalanga Labane, a former teacher from Amersfoort.
Labane apparently failed matric several times, leading her to obtain a fraudulent matric certificate in 2003.
According to information received, she was later admitted to Walter Sisulu University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Education degree in 2014.
She was subsequently employed as a temporary teacher at Hlelimfundo Secondary School before securing a permanent teaching post at Theu-Theu Primary School in Amersfoort.
In 2022, the Department of Education was alerted to a fraudulent matric certificate by a whistleblower. An internal investigation was launched and, after gathering the necessary evidence, the matter was handed over to the Hawks for further investigation.
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Hawks spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, said the Hawks conducted an intensive investigation and that Labane was then summoned to court in 2024.
She appeared in court on several occasions before eventually pleading guilty to all charges on March 26 this year.
Labane was sentenced on May 7 to five years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years on condition that she is not convicted of a similar offence during the suspension period.
Nkosi said the Mpumalanga Department of Education suffered a financial loss of more than R1.1m as a result of Labane’s fraudulent activities.
The Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Mpumalanga, Major General Nico Gerber, issued a stern warning to individuals involved in fraud in the education sector, particularly those who use forged documents.
“It is not only about the money lost, but more importantly about the future of learners who are not adequately prepared to take the country forward,” said Gerber.
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