An administrative assistant in the North West Department of Education appeared in court on Monday for allegedly stealing over R1m from a school where he served on the governing body.
The National Prosecuting Authority said Ofentse Molemane, appeared in the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court where he faces 175 counts of fraud, alternatively theft.
He was granted bail of R5000 after handing himself over to authorities
NPA regional spokesperson, Sivenathi Gunya, said the court heard that Molemane was employed as an administrative assistant in the provincial education department’s Bojanala District Services in Rustenburg.
He was entrusted with secretarial support and office administrative duties, specifically at the Sunrise View Primary School where he also served as a financial officer on the SGB, and was one of the signatories to the school’s bank account.
Gunya said it’s alleged that between January 2019 and March 2020, Molemane had transferred money from the school’s banking account to his account, and in March 2020, he made six transfers to his girlfriend’s account.
“The total amount transferred between 2019 and 2020 by the accused exceeds R1 million.
“The state has asserted that both Molemane and the outstanding suspect shared a common purpose and acted together to facilitate the fraudulent activities. Efforts are ongoing to locate and arrest the outstanding suspect,” he said.
The case against him was postponed to 14 November.
