Ghost teachers haunt MP’s wife
IT WAS through an anonymous letter to the education department that the wife of an ANC MP was eventually brought to court for allegedly creating ghost teachers and taking their pay.
IT WAS through an anonymous letter to the Eastern Cape education department that the wife of the African National Congress (ANC) chief whip was eventually caught out for allegedly creating ghost teachers and then pocketing their salaries.
Portia “Pankie” Sizani, 46, pleaded not guilty to 31 counts of fraud totalling R1.2m on the first day of her trial in the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court yesterday. Her husband, Stone Sizani, was not in court and the glamorous Ms Sizani was instead supported by a group of her female friends.
The trial — delayed by a year due to Ms Sizani’s alleged ill-health — got off to a dramatic start yesterday when the court issued a warrant for the arrest of one of the alleged “ghost” teachers and Ms Sizani’s niece, Amanda Noluntshungu.
Prosecutor Ronelle Brink said Ms Noluntshungu, who was subpoenaed to testify yesterday, had previously informed her of the reasons why she did not want to be in court. “We know where she is and the police will fetch her,” Ms Brink said.
Ms Sizani, of Summerstrand, was employed as co-ordinator of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme at the provincial education department at the time of the alleged fraud. The ECD provides for the appointment of Grade R teachers at Eastern Cape schools.
Ms Sizani started working for the department as a teacher in East London in 1991 and slowly worked her way up the ranks.
Mr Sizani is the former Eastern Cape education MEC.
It is alleged Ms Sizani repeated the scam at least 16 times between January 2009 and November 2010.
Yesterday, the first state witness to be called, education department district director Nyati Nosipho, said the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) launched a probe into Ms Sizani’s affairs in October 2010, after the department received an anonymous letter detailing the alleged fraudulent activity.
After an internal disciplinary hearing, Ms Sizani had resigned from the department.
Dr Nosipho explained a circular was issued by the superintendentgeneral in May 2008, setting out the process to be followed by the education department when subsidising the salaries of Grade R teachers as part of the ECD programme.
He said once a school identified the need for a Grade R teacher, the principal or head of the governing body would apply to the education department for funding.
The application would be submitted to the district co-ordinator — a position Ms Sizani held at the time — to scrutinise the application. The application would then be sent to its head office in Zwelitsha, after which Ms Sizani would inform the school to begin advertising the post. Once a candidate had been decided, the school principal and district director were required to fill out an assumption of duty form.
The state alleges, however, that Ms Sizani processed numerous fraudulent applications, resulting in the irregular appointments of Grade R teachers. She would allegedly obtain the personal details of teachers, apply for posts on their behalf, and falsify the principal’s signature of approval. Once the money was paid into the teachers’ accounts, Ms Sizani would allegedly inform them that a mistake had been made and the money should be paid to her.
Musa Zokufa-Mlahleki, principal of Elundini Pre-Primary School in Motherwell, said Ms Noluntshungu began volunteering as a Grade R practitioner at the school in late 2008. Because Ms Noluntshungu was still studying towards a teaching diploma and worked on a voluntary basis, the school organised that each parent would pay her a stipend of R20 a month.
However, it is alleged that, unbeknown to the school, Ms Sizani submitted an application to the education department for her niece to permanently fill the position.
Included in the documentation was a fraudulent assumption of duty form purporting to have been signed by Mr Zokufa-Mlahleki, certifying that Ms Noluntshungu assumed duty on January 1 2009. Ms Noluntshunga allegedly received a monthly salary between January 2009 and December 2010.
“When the SIU came to see me she confessed to what she did,” Mr Zokufa-Mlahleki said. “I had been harassing parents who were not paying the R20, I felt so sorry for her. She confessed to me that she was helped by her aunt, Mrs Sizani.”
Meanwhile, Xolelwa Tyatyaza said after dropping off her CV with Ms Sizani in October 2009, she received an SMS asking her to sign a contract for a position as Grade R practitioner despite her falling short of the qualifications for the job.
“I was told I was (temporarily) filling someone else’s position and that the money that would be paid into my account was not mine.”
Ms Tyatyaza said shortly thereafter, R23,000 was paid into her personal bank account.
“I withdrew the money and gave it to Mrs Sizani. She then gave me R3,000,” she said.
However, although Ms Tyatyaza did not take up a position until January 2010, documents before the court show that she was fraudulently enlisted as a Grade R practitioner at two other schools during this time.
Testimony continues.