Two education department staffers arrested for fake matric certificates

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Two department of education staffers were arrested for allegedly using fake matric certificates to gain employment over a decade ago have been granted bail.

Morwesi Margareth Mokone, 46, and Mankwane Suzan Raleru, 54, appeared in the Rustenburg magistrates’ court on Wednesday, facing charges of fraud, forgery and uttering.

The duo was arrested this morning following an investigation into allegations of submitting fraudulent matric certificates when they applied for advertised posts in the department of education.

North West Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula, said in August 2008, Raleru was hired as an Early Childhood Development Fieldworker at the Kgetleng River APO following an advertisement of a post.

“The accused allegedly submitted a matric certificate, which she claimed to have obtained in 1992. Investigation revealed that the accused did write matric, but never passed it.

“It was discovered during the investigation that the accused submitted a fraudulent matric certificate when applying for the post. As a result, the department paid the accused over R2.3 million in salaries,” he stated.

In a separate incident, Mokone applied for an administration assistant position at the Kana Primary School in March 2011 and was subsequently hired.

Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula added that she applied for the post with a matric certificate, which she allegedly obtained in 1998.

He cited that upon conducting an investigation, it was revealed that the accused never sat for matric exams and that she had forged a matric certificate to apply for the post.

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The department paid the accused over R2.2 million in salaries since her employment.

The accused were granted R10 000 bail each.

Their matter was postponed to 14 November 2024 for further investigation.