MTHATHA – A 62-year-old school principal has been served with a summons by the Mthatha-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation of the Hawks over allegations of fraud and perjury.
According to WO Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, the summons was formally served on the suspect implicated in a matter concerning a Road Accident Fund (RAF) claim with the potential prejudice estimated at approximately R2,9 million on Thursday 5 March.
“The suspect is expected to make her first court appearance on Wednesday 25 March, where she will answer the alleged charges against her,” he said.
Mhlakuvana added that the case emanates from a complaint lodged by the RAF following the detection of irregularities in compensation claims submitted in relation to a motor vehicle collision that reportedly occurred on 2 July 2017 on the N2 road near Colosa Administrative Area in Dutywa.
“The collision involved a Volkswagen Polo, allegedly driven by the suspect, and a Toyota Verso driven by another individual,” he said. “Police members who responded to the accident scene compiled an official accident report which recorded that the suspect was the driver of the Volkswagen Polo at the time of the incident and that she had sustained bodily injuries during the collision.”
Subsequent medical documentation reportedly corroborated this version of events.
He added that it is alleged that on 12 December 2017, the school principal mandated a certain law firm to lodge a claim against the RAF on her behalf. “In support of the claim, she provided information stating that she had been the driver at the time of the accident.”
Variation: Claimant gives contradictory statements
Mhlakuvana said the claim sought compensation amounting to approximately R2,9 million.
“Further allegations established that the suspect later terminated the mandate with the aforementioned legal representatives and ostensibly appointed another law firm to pursue a separate claim with the RAF,” he said. “In this second submission, the suspect allegedly advanced a contradictory narrative, submitted documentation and a version that indicated she had been a passenger at the time of the accident.”
Mhlakuvana also noted that this alternative claim was lodged for an amount of over R1,4 million.
“The reports uncovered that the suspect had also submitted a claim to Old Mutual’s iWYZE vehicle insurance division for damages sustained by the Volkswagen Polo during the collision.”
He added that in the claim, she reportedly declared that she had been the driver of the vehicle, resulting in the insurer processing and depositing the claimed compensation into her bank account.
“The mutually inconsistent statements made across different institutional platforms and under oath raised serious concerns regarding the veracity of the representations made by the accused.”
Rejection: RAF asks Hawks to investigate
The RAF rejected the claim and the matter was referred to the Hawks for investigation.
“The investigation established that the evidence suggested that the suspect deliberately misrepresented facts in an attempt to secure undue financial benefit from both the Road Accident Fund and the vehicle insurer, with the RAF potentially being prejudiced to the amount of R2,9 million,” Mhlakuvana said.
“Following a meticulous evaluation of documentary evidence, summons were authorised and duly served on 5 March 2026, compelling the suspect to appear before the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court,” he concluded.
