The trial of a woman accused of misleading the Eastern Cape Department of Health about obtaining a qualification as a radiographer is expected to continue in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Port Elizabeth on Thursday.
The 27-year-old Asisipho Mbekela claims that she graduated from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in 2016, however, the State alleges that she lied about her qualification and failed dismally, only passing one of her four subjects during her final examination.
Mbekela who worked as a radiographer doing community service at Livingstone Hospital in 2016, pleaded not guilty to three fraud charges and two of forgery.
Mbekela's plea was read into the record during the start of her trial in December 2019.
In her plea, she said that the National Diploma was legitimately awarded to her during her graduation ceremony in April of 2016.
The first witness who testified in the trial was the Assessment and Graduate Administrator at CPUT, Magda Bauman.
Bauman testified that Mbekela approached her on her graduation day minutes before the procession began, stating that there was no seat allocated to her amongst fellow graduates.
She said following this, Mbekela indicated to her that this may have been because she wrote a special supplementary exam due to previously failing three of her four final modules, but a lecturer had subsequently emailed her the latest results from the special exam which now indicated a pass and thus access to the graduation.
Bauman testified that the accused then presented the results to her which she then printed, and she proceeded to graduate.
The validity of the results was however followed up with CPUT Department Heads days later.
According to the State, Mbekela not once but twice intentionally forged a document in writing showing that she did pass all her subjects.
The State is arguing that Mbekela knew she was not qualified and therefore also knew that she was not entitled to accept any offer of employment from the Department of Health.
