A former top official in the Bhisho Education Department has been found guilty of defrauding the Department in a 1.2 million rand scam.
Portia Sizani, the wife of former ANC chief whip in Parliament, Stone Sizani, was convicted on Friday morning in the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes court by magistrate Mputhumi Mpofu.
The state contended that she had processed several fraudulent applications for Grade R teaching posts.
She was convicted on 15 counts of fraud and nine of money laundering.
Mpofu said in his Judgment Sizani used vulnerable people who were desperate for jobs and lured them into her scam by promising them jobs at the Department of Education.
Two years ago, Sizani was found not guilty on five of the 15 counts of money laundering against her due to the fact that key witnesses could not be traced.
On Friday she Mpofu found her not guilty on only one charge of fraud stated as Count 9 on the charge sheet.
Sizani was arrested in December 2012 and the trial had several delays over the years.
The court took a brief tea break.
