Court grants R50 000 bail to four of 33 accused in Mpumalanga education fraud case

33 suspects allegedly linked to a fraud case within the Department of Education (DoE) appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court today, February 23. They are accused of fraud, money laundering and corruption. Most of the suspects, including service providers and DoE officials, were arrested yesterday, February 22, by the Hawks.

Before the hearings proceeded, the state demanded that bail be set at R50 000, which the magistrate granted in several cases. NPA spokesperson Monica Nyuswa talks about the 33 Department of Education officials and service providers that appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court today.#fraud#nelspruitmagistratecourt The matter of a service provider, Consolation Mdluli, was heard first since she is wheelchair-bound. Absolom Thela, a former DoE acting chief financial officer, his daughter Palesa Thela, former senior department official Nono Maribe, and service provider Ruth Khoza were each granted R50 000 bail.

The rest of the suspects remain in custody at the Nelspruit Police Station and are expected to appear in court tomorrow, February 24 and will be joined by the three suspects who were arrested today. All accused who were granted bail are expected to make their next court appearance on March 26. Twenty-eight people were remanded in custody, while four were granted bail of R50 000 each, and one wheelchair-bound person was granted bail of R5 000, following their appearance in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court. They are charged with fraud, corruption, and money laundering involving more than R100m.