LEHURUTSE – A financial clerk at the Ramatu High School in Lehurutse, North West is facing multiple charges of fraud exceeding R244 000. The accused Kebafilwe Sylvia Mokgosi (32) had her case adjourned to 28 September after a brief appearance before the Lehurutshe Magistrates’ Court last Friday – the same day following her arrest. The Mmabatho-based Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team arrested on prima facie evidence of allegedly siphoning the school funds for personal gain.

Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said that Mokgosi appeared in court facing ten counts of fraud and was subsequently granted bail of R1 000 on condition that she reappear as scheduled.

“Her arrest follows an investigation into allegations of misappropriating funds at the Ramatu High School in Lehurutshe between 2023 and 2024. The accused allegedly transferred over R244 000 from the school’s bank accounts into her personal bank account,” said Mathebula. He said the matter was postponed to a future date while the Hawks continued its investigation into alleged fraud.

Mokgosi’s arrest over fraud comes weeks after the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Rustenburg sentenced a former administration clerk at Sunrise View Primary School, Ofentse Solomon Molemane (37), to 12 years’ imprisonment for swindling the school out of more than R1 million.

He has begun serving eight years in prison after the court suspended the remaining four years for a period of eight years on condition that he not be convicted of fraud committed during the suspension period. He pleaded guilty to 170 counts of fraud for stealing over R1 million from the primary school in Boitekong.

An in-depth probing revealed that Molemane defrauded the school between January 2019 and March 2020. Evidence revealed that he misrepresented financial transactions, falsified records, misled the school’s management, and concealed his criminal activities. Financial reports presented during school meetings eventually uncovered the unauthorised transactions, which resulted in Molemane unlawfully benefiting by more than R1 million.

At the time of committing the crime, Molemane was serving on the School Governing Body (SGB), performing financial and administrative duties. He was one of the signatories to the school’s bank account, a position that authorised him to conduct transactions related solely to the school’s business. Molemane was arrested in October 2024 and stood trial until his conviction and sentencing.