A South African Social Services Agency (SASSA) employee in Mpumalanga faces the grim prospect of jail time for allegedly falsifying her qualifications.
On Monday, Alina Dimakatso Nkwanyana Selepe was released on R3000 bail after she was arrested on Friday by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit in Mpumalanga.
In a statement, the Hawks said the Volkrust resident is facing fraud charges.
“It is alleged that in 2006 there was an advertised post for team leader: administration in the department of SASSA. In applying for the said position, the suspect submitted a fraudulent matric certificate, which was one of the requirements for that job. As a result, the suspect was employed and appointed as a team leader: administration at SASSA, Volkrust in Mpumalanga,” said the Hawks.
The Hawks said the SASSA office vetted the qualifications with the Department of Education. It was during this process that it was discovered that her matric certificate was fraudulent.
The matter was reported to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit in Nelspruit in December 2020. A subsequent investigation revealed that the suspect prejudiced the government over R4 million in salary between 2006 and 2020.
The case was postponed to 26 March 2021.