Fraudsters hack Department of Education’s system

MBOMBELA – Musawenkosi Sigasa (47), Thabang Nathaniel Gaakarekoe (51), Jabulile Gladys Gaakarekoe (80) and Teressa Ntombela (35) together with their respective Johannesburg-based close corporations, Gauwe Waste Management and Projects and Clonis Homes and Maintenance, were convicted on three counts of theft.

In 2009 the Department of Education (DoE) discovered certain suspicious transactions were effected from within its financial management and accounting supply chain system. The accused initially pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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Various payments were made to Nedbank and Absa bank accounts totalling R5,5 million, according to the departments’ own financial reports. Two officials whose passwords and usernames were used to authorise payments, were on leave at the time the offences were committed.

Senior State Adv Patrick Nkuna told the court that the accused were linked to the offences, by applying Section 205 of the Criminal Procedure Act. Crime intelligence applied to a magistrate for access to their telephone records.

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The accused were further traced by the evidence of technical expert witnesses from Vodacom, Absa and a report from the Companies Intellectual Commission (CIPC).

The court relied on circumstantial evidence, that indicated that the accused were aware they had received stolen money into their close corporation bank accounts unlawfully.

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Evidence reflected that the accused must have had assistance from DoE officials in order to commit these offences, but the unscrupulous officials could not be linked to the crimes committed.

Magistrate André Geldenhuys postponed the matter to September 6 for sentencing.