A Mpumalanga teacher who allegedly used a fake matric certificate to obtain a university degree and secure employment will face fraud charges in March. Ntombelanga Pretty Labane reportedly earned over R1.2 million teaching at Hlelimfundo Secondary School despite failing matric four times.

Hawks investigators discovered Labane used a matric certificate number belonging to another person, Nozipho Ritta Ngema, to gain admission to Walter Sisulu University, where she completed a Bachelor of Education degree.

“Labane submitted a CV, copies of a fraudulent matric certificate, a B-ED degree, and SACE certificates to the school principal,” said Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Dineo Sekgotodi.

The fraud came to light when a whistleblower reported to the Public Service Commission that Labane never passed matric. Records show she attempted matric exams in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, failing each time.

The school’s management team and governing body approved her appointment in September 2016 after reviewing her application. Officials at multiple levels, including the circuit manager and district office, processed her employment documents.

Monica Nyuswa, Mpumalanga NPA spokesperson, confirmed Labane’s case has been postponed to March for trial. The accused remains out of custody as no arrest warrant has been issued.

School officials told investigators they lacked the means to verify document authenticity. “The principal, circuit manager and the district office reported that they did not notice it was fraudulent as they do not have detectors to verify the validity of the documents,” Sekgotodi said.

The Public Service Commission referred the case to the Hawks’ Secunda-based serious commercial crime investigation unit in July 2022 after completing their initial investigation.