Senior admin clerk found guilty of fraud

A senior admin clerk of the provincial Department of Justice has been convicted of numerous counts of fraud in the East London Regional Court.

Provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, CaptainYolisa Mgolodela said in a report that 44-year-old Ziqelekazi Matyholo was convicted on February 2.

Matyholo was employed as a senior admin clerk for the Department of Justice's human resources department between May 2008 and September 15, 2009.

“She was responsible for facilitating redeployment, implementing relocation costs, furniture removal and resettlement benefits of the new appointees and officials of the department.” said Mgolodela.

“On discovering some discrepancies where even new employees were paid relocation costs and resettlement benefits, the Department of Justice lodged a complaint with the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team of the Hawks for probing in December 2010.

“This culminated in the arrest of Matyholo on July 4, 2012.” she said.

Mgolodela said that investigations revealed that Matyholo requested invoices from service providers for the alleged removal of furniture for the Department of Justice employees who reportedly relocated to different districts around the Eastern Cape and Free State.

“She processed and submitted invoices for the removal of the furniture to the department, of which the department approved and paid for.”

It was also revealed she instructed service providers to withdraw money and hand it over to her, though the service providers never rendered the services.

“The Department of Justice was thus prejudiced cash to the value of more than R113 000.”

“Matyholo made a short appearance in East London Magistrate’s Court on the day of her arrest. She was released on warning and subsequently made several court appearances before her conviction.

“The matter was remanded to March 25 for sentencing.”