The Gauteng Department of Education says the conviction of two former employees for fraud, forgery and theft reaffirms its commitment to rooting out corruption.
They appeared before the Johannesburg Commercial Crimes Court sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrate Court on Thursday, spokesperson Steve Mabona said in a statement on Friday.
The pair colluded with a third external accomplice in a ghost employee scheme that defrauded the department of R3 million.
The scheme was uncovered through the department’s internal risk investigation, which implicated seven employees from the Human Resources Unit at the Gauteng West District Office.
‘FRAUD AND CORRUPTION WILL NOT BE TOLERATED’
According to Mabona, the group created and processed payments for non-existent employees.
The two former employees were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, with four years suspended; two concurrent six-year terms; and eight years’ imprisonment, respectively. The external accomplice received a three-year sentence, suspended for five years.
Mabona commended law enforcement and the department’s internal risk management team for investigating the scheme and securing the arrests.
Education MEC Matome Chiloane welcomed the sentencing, saying it sent a strong message of zero tolerance for corruption.
“This sentencing shows that fraud and corruption will not be tolerated in our sector. We are encouraged by the collaboration between our internal teams and law enforcement in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” Chiloane said.
