IEC commissioner Nomsa Masuku back in court for R1.2 million Standard Bank fraud case

Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) commissioner Dr Nomsa Masuku will be back in court for her R1.2 million fraud case.

The 62-year-old Masuku is expected to appear in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sitting in Palm Ridge on Wednesday.

She was arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit in June.

Masuku is currently out on R20,000 bail and has been charged with fraud amounting to R1.2 million.

Scholarships for family and friends

Masuku’s offences were allegedly committed during her tenure as Head of Standard Bank’s Social Corporate Investments (SCI) Programme, prior to her appointment at the IEC.

It is alleged that while Masuku headed the bank’s Adopt A School Trust, which was intended to support students with financial assistance and resources, she abused her position to award scholarships to friends and family members.

According to Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale, Masuku would achieve this “through manipulation of documents and without the approval of the committee with some of the monies deposited directly into her personal bank account”.

Mogale said the programme was designed to help talented individuals from adopted schools who met specific criteria to further their studies and achieve their academic goals.

ALSO READ: IEC to monitor commissioner Masuku’s arrest for allegedly looting R1.2m

The IEC said it will monitor Masuku’s case for allegedly embezzling student funds.

Daniel Mthimkhulu

In a separate matter, former Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) executive manager Daniel Mthimkhulu was sentenced to 15 years for fraud and misrepresentation of his qualifications.

The sentence was handed down by Magistrate Philip Venter in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court sitting in Palm Ridge on Tuesday.

Venter sentenced Mthimkhulu to 15 years in prison and six years each on two other counts of fraud. The sentences will run concurrently.

Mthimkhulu was found to have misrepresented his qualifications to Prasa.

He claimed, among others, to have acquired a master’s degree from the University of Witwatersrand and a doctorate in engineering management from the Technische Universitat Munchen in Germany.

Additionally reporting by Chulumanco Mahamba

ALSO READ: Former Prasa exec Daniel Mthimkhulu sentenced to 15 years in jail for bogus qualification