By REGINALD KANYANE
25 September 2024- The North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi said the arrest of two departmental officials for fraud, marks a crucial step in addressing fraudulent activities within her department. Motsumi said these officials from the Bojanala District Office, were arrested by the Hawks in connection with fraudulent documents.
She further said the arrests follow a thorough investigation and they briefly appeared before the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court on 25 September 2024. Motsumi added that the case involves officials who were appointed in 1998 and another in 2008.
“They were both found with fraudulent matric certificates. The verification process revealed that the matric certificates purportedly issued were invalid, as confirmed by the Umalusi.
“Following these findings, the matter was referred to the Department’s Labour Unit for intervention prior to the Hawks and National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) investigations. The accused persons were granted R12 000 and R2000 bail respectively,” she said.
Motsumi expressed the department’s commitment to clean governance and eradicating fraudulent behaviour within the education sector. She said as a department, one of the priorities that they are pursuing is to improve education, training, and innovation, and to contribute towards building a developmental state in the country.
“When we improve education, training, and innovation, we want the department to be regarded as the apex of good governance. To achieve that, we must clean up corrupt or fraudulent tendencies within the department.
“These arrests are a result of an ongoing investigation that has appeared in various media platforms in recent months. It is time for the law to take its course, and we trust that the state will handle these matters appropriately,” said Motsumi.
She said as the department, they will not interfere with the process. Motsumi said their focus remains on preparing the learners for the upcoming exams, with a targeted 90% pass rate across the province.
“While this matter is before law enforcement, our primary responsibility remains to ensure a quality education for all learners. The department will continue to work closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure transparency and accountability within the sector,” she said.
The Guardian 