Rustenburg – Two Department of Education staffers in the North West – 46-year-old Morwesi Margareth Mokone and 54-year-old Mankwane Suzan Raleru – arrested for allegedly using fake matric certificates to gain employment over a decade ago have been granted bail.
The accused, Mokone and Raleru, were arrested Wednesday, (25 September 2024) and they appeared the same day in the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court on charges of fraud, forgery, and uttering.
Narrating events leading to the pair being busted, North West Hawks Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula said: “Their arrest follows an investigation into allegations of submitting fraudulent matric certificates when they applied for advertised posts in the Department of Education in North West”.
Lieutenant Colonel Mathebula said in August 2008, Raleru was hired as an Early Childhood Development Fieldworker at the Kgetleng River APO.
“The accused allegedly submitted a matric certificate, which she claimed to have obtained in 1992,” said Lieutenant Colonel Mathebula.
“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.”
Using her fake Matric certificate, Raleru was paid over R2.3 million in salaries since she joined the department.
The other accused, Mokone, applied for an administration assistant position at the Kana Primary School in March 2011 and was hired.
She applied for the post using a matric certificate, which she claimed she obtained in 1998.
“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,” said Lieutenant Colonel Mathebula.
The department paid the accused over R2.2 million in salaries since her employment over a decade ago.
The accused Mokone and Raleru were granted R10 000 bail each.
Their matter was postponed to 14 November 2024 for further investigation.
