A 43-year-old woman who previously served as a financial administrator at a high school in Kathu in the Northern Cape was arrested this morning on charges of fraud, forgery and uttering. She is accused of embezzling school funds totalling R4,6 million and was arrested on Thursday 2 July at her place of residence in Kathu.

The woman previously served as a financial administrator at Kathu High School. Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe, spokesperson of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), said the modus operandi of the accused allegedly included the creation of private banking accounts where school funds were diverted.

According to Thebe, financial discrepancies were identified in October 2025 when an audit detected irregularities in the school’s financial records. The stolen funds included normal school fees, as well as donor amounts which are used to pay the salaries of School Governing Body (SGB) teachers.

Investigation reveals fraudulent scheme

The Hawks’ investigation revealed that the accused created fictitious invoices purporting to be legitimate school suppliers and authorised payments which went to her private account and for her benefit. Further allegations are that the accused paid herself overtime despite the school’s policy prohibiting such payments.

Team members of the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation worked with their counterparts from Serious Organised Crime to execute the arrest.

The suspect will appear before the Kathu Magistrate’s Court on Friday 3 July for a possible bail application.

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