VANDERBIJLPARK – A former employee of Pinedene Primary School appeared in the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court on July 4. She is accused of stealing approximately R15m from the school.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Aletta van Eck has been charged after funds gradually disappeared from the school’s bank accounts between January 2013 and December 2020.

Van Eck has obtained provisional legal aid, but the case has been postponed pending the outcome of her legal aid application.

It currently remains unclear whether other individuals may have also been involved in the alleged crime.

Pinedene Primary School is one of Vanderbijlpark’s established primary schools, and the charges are likely to cause concern among parents and the wider community.