Ghost teachers fraud trial is delayed

THE CASE against convicted fraudster Portia Sizani was again postponed in the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court yesterday.

This after her lawyers indicated that they would make an application to the Port Elizabeth High Court for the matter to be taken on special review.

In March, Sizani, wife of South Africa’s ambassador to Germany Stone Sizani, was found guilty on 15 counts of fraud, and nine counts of money laundering. Sizani’s sentencing was previously delayed after her defence team’s bid for a special review was dismissed by magistrate Mputumi Mpofu.

Sizani defrauded the Eastern Cape education department out of over R1.2 million by processing fraudulent applications for teaching posts. She was the early childhood development district co-ordinator at the time. The case was postponed until March 17.