Zukiswa Wana, a 52-year-old individual, has recently been convicted and sentenced on 1 February 2024 by the East London Regional Court.
This conviction comes as a result of charges of fraud and money laundering, following an extensive investigation and subsequent arrest by the East London Serious Corruption Investigation of the Hawks.
The case dates back to October 2012 when an internal memo was received by the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Education in Zwelitsha. The memo revealed improper payments made to two service providers for school hostel catering services.
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It was discovered that payments had been made without any actual services being rendered, and further investigation revealed that signatures had been forged to authorize these transactions.
Upon further examination, the department identified three irregularly authorised school hostel catering expenditure approval documents, amounting to over R800,000. These documents were related to the Cluster C Districts Development and Support office.
It was determined that Zukiswa Wana, who worked as a Personal Assistant in the District Development and Support Office for Cluster C, was responsible for fraudulently authorising these payments.
The matter was subsequently referred to the Hawks for a thorough investigation, which ultimately led to the arrest and subsequent conviction of Zukiswa Wana. She has been found guilty on one count of fraud and one count of money laundering.
As part of her sentence, Wana has received a 5-year wholly suspended sentence. Additionally, she has been ordered to repay R410,000 from her pension to compensate for the state’s loss.
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The Provincial Head of the Hawks, Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya, has commended the efforts made to ensure that Zukiswa Wana faced legal consequences for her actions.
This conviction serves as a reminder that fraudulent activities will not be tolerated, and individuals who engage in such behaviour will be held accountable for their actions.
