Former municipal clerk sent to jail for inflating her salary

A former municipal clerk at Ngqushwa Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape has been sentenced to five years in prison after inflating her salary.

The Peddie Regional Court recently found 43-year-old Ntombozuko Mgoqi guilty of fraud and theft.

Her co-accused Nolufefe

Mrhwebo was sentenced to four years imprisonment in 2016.

It was found that between December 2013 and June 2014, Mgoqi “unlawfully and intentionally colluded with Mrhwebo to manipulate the municipal system to increase their salaries without the employer’s authorisation”.

An internal audit later picked up discrepancies in the pair’s salaries.

The municipality reportedly lost over R200 000 from the unauthorised salary increases.

They were arrested by the Hawks in September 2015 and released on bail.

Last year, a manager at Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality in North West was accused of fraud after a service provider was paid R29 700 but provided no services to the municipality.

“The office of the mayor has learnt of serious financial misconduct through social media and informed the acting municipal manager to investigate the allegation.

“The matter is being handled internally by the office of the accounting officer, who has initiated an investigation as a matter of urgency and a detailed report will be issued in due course,” said municipality spokesperson Dirontsho Sebego.

President Cyril Ramaphosa last month authorised the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate allegations of serious maladministration at Moqhaka Local Municipality, Free State.

The SIU was tasked with investigating procurement and contracts of armed physical security services in the municipality.