Two former GDE employees, their accomplice set to be sentenced for fraud & theft

Two former employees of the Gauteng Department of Education and their accomplice are set to be sentenced for fraud and theft at the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court over the next two days.

The trio was convicted of fraud, forgery and theft in connection with a multi-million-rand ghost employee scheme that defrauded the department of approximately R3.8 million.

The convicted man and woman had previously worked in the human resources unit at the department’s west district office, while the third convicted man is the brother of one of the former employees.

The scam, uncovered through an internal risk investigation by the department, involved the illicit creation of ghost employees, who were added to the payroll system to drain public funds.

Department spokesperson Steve Mabona said a total of seven employees were implicated, with five dismissed following an internal disciplinary process.

"A criminal case was initially opened in 2016, which ultimately led to the arrest of two former employees, alongside their accomplice. The department’s internal investigations also implicated five other employees."

He said the employees challenged the dismissals, which the department successfully defended at both the Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court.

"On the 23rd of May 2025, the Johannesburg Commercial Crimes Court, sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court, found these individuals guilty of multiple charges, including fraud, forgery and theft."