School fraud suspect granted bail after surrendering to police following R1m theft

A Rustenburg man was granted R5 000 bail on Monday after he voluntarily surrendered to the police following the theft of over R1 million from a primary school.

Ofentse Solomon Molemane, 34, was an administrative assistant in the North West Department of Education at the Rustenburg area office, specifically Sunrise View Primary School.

He was given administrative responsibilities and secretarial support.

Suspect had access to school’s bank account

Additionally, Molemane was a signatory to the school’s bank account and a financial officer on the school governing body (SGB), allowing him to execute transactions related to the school’s operations.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Sivenathi Gunya said the investigation revealed that between January 2019 and March 2020, he transferred money from the school’s banking account to his account on numerous occasions.

Over R1m transferred from school account

In March 2020, he also executed six transactions to his girlfriend’s account.

The girlfriend, not arrested yet, did not have a valid connection to the school and did not provide any services for which they were compensated.

“The total amount transferred between 2019 and 2020 by the accused exceeds R1 million. The state has asserted that both Molemane and the outstanding suspect shared a common purpose and acted together to facilitate the fraudulent activities,” Gunya said.

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On Monday morning, Molemane voluntarily surrendered to the police and made his first appearance at the Rustenburg Magistrate Court facing a staggering 175 counts of fraud, or, alternatively, 175 counts of theft.

He was granted R 5 000 bail, and as part of his bail conditions, Molemane has been instructed to report to the Mogwase charge office twice a week and to surrender his passport to the investigating officer.

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The NPA added that efforts are ongoing to locate and arrest the girlfriend.

Commercial crimes

Meanwhile, Director of Public Prosecutions in North West Dr Rachel Makhari commended the quick actions of the law enforcement teams and the prosecution for ensuring that the accused is held accountable in court.

“She reiterated the commitment of the NPA to combat commercial crimes and to uphold the principles of justice and integrity within public service,” Gunya said.

The case was postponed to 14 November 2024 for further investigations and the apprehension of an outstanding suspect involved in the matter.