Six people are expected to appear in the Zwelitsha Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday on charges of fraud, forgery, and uttering.
This comes after the group was arrested by members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks) based in East London.
The provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said the group, aged between of 42 and 54, were arrested by members of the Serious Corruption Investigation team on Monday, August 21.
The group is alleged to have defrauded the Eastern Cape Department of Health.
“On December 10, 2014, the Eastern Cape Department of Health advertised 730 positions for Emergency Medical Care Services officers in all eight districts of the Eastern Cape,” Mhlakuvana said.
“The requirements for the positions were inter alia Grade 12 or equivalent certificate. The six officials who applied were shortlisted, interviewed, and employed. They started their positions on April 8, 2015.”
On March 24, 2022, the group was requested to submit their original Grade 12 certificates which they failed to do.
“The department embarked on verification of qualification where their Grade 12 certificates were declared fraudulent and the matter was referred to the Hawks for investigation,” Mhlakuvana said.
The investigation further revealed the Department of Health was prejudiced by more than R7.9 million.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
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