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Appearing in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court on 20 January 2021, a teacher from the Dundee area finds herself facing severe repercussions for lying about her qualifications.
This follows the Hawks from the Durban Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit swooping down on the 41-year-old educator, taking her into custody on 15 January 2021.
The teacher, Thembisile Phungula, allegedly submitted a fraudulent matric certificate and a teaching diploma to the Department of Education. Hawks spokesperson, Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo adds, “As a result, she was hired as a teacher at Msinga High School in 2011. Her conduct was discovered after the department verified the authenticity of her qualifications.”
According to the Durban Serious Crime Investigations Unit, the department suffered a significant financial loss, with approximately R122 493 in salary being paid to her.
A case of fraud by misrepresentation was reported at Dundee police station, and the case docket was allocated to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation.
Subsequent to the case being opened, Phungula was granted R2000 bail, and the case was postponed to 26 February 2021.
While further investigations are still underway, this is not the first time a teacher has faced legal repercussions for fraudulent activities.
In December 2020, the Volksrust Regional Court found two teachers guilty of the same crime. The two were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. However, their sentences were wholly suspended for five years on the condition; they are not found guilty of fraud during the period of suspension.
Additionally, a confiscation order for their pension funds to the tune of R600 000 respectively, was granted.
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One Response
This crime has been on the rise for a long time and certain institutions were known to be involved in such fraud. A number of well known politicians were also caught and currently we still have some ppl in high positions with such fraudulent qualifications. Let law enforcement play its role and all involved be dealt with.