Former North West school clerk jailed for 12 years over R1m fraud

A 37-year-old former administration clerk who admitted to transferring more than R1 million from a North West primary school’s bank account into personal and third-party accounts has been sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment.

Guilty plea and sentence

The sentence was handed down by the Specialised Commercial Crime Court sitting in Rustenburg after the man, Ofentse Molemane, pleaded guilty to 170 counts of fraud. The court imposed a 12-year custodial term, with four years suspended for five years on condition he is not convicted of fraud or a similar offence during the suspension period. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

How the fraud was carried out

According to IOL, Molemane had been employed as an administration assistant in the Department of Education’s Bojanala District Services at the Rustenburg Area Office, based at Sunrise View Primary School. He performed secretarial and office administrative duties, acted as a financial officer for the school governing body and was one of the signatories to the school’s bank account.

Between January 2019 and March 2020, Molemane transferred funds from the school’s bank account into his personal account. In March 2020 he also transferred money from the school’s account to his girlfriend’s account on six occasions. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the total amount transferred between 2019 and 2020 exceeded R1 million.

State’s case and court findings

The NPA said Molemane “orchestrated a scheme to unlawfully enrich himself by misappropriating funds intended for the school’s operations during his employment” and that he “pleaded guilty to all 170 counts of fraud.”

State Advocate Nkhetheni Mudau told the court that Molemane “had carefully planned and executed the fraudulent scheme by repeatedly transferring school funds into his personal bank account and paying himself amounts to which he was not entitled.” The State also said Molemane created fictitious invoices, falsely claiming they had been issued by service providers who had rendered services to the school, to conceal his conduct.

The court found that Molemane had abused the trust placed in him and that his guilty plea did not show genuine remorse but was instead an attempt to obtain a lighter sentence. The court rejected his explanation that some stolen funds had been used to build a house for his grandmother and described his conduct as motivated by greed.

Responses from the NPA

NPA communications officer Lindiwe Mabasa said the court convicted Molemane on all 170 counts and noted the financial prejudice caused to the school, the School Governing Body and legitimate service providers. She said Molemane “used the stolen money to finance his personal lifestyle and private business, causing financial prejudice to the school, the School Governing Body, and legitimate service providers.”

The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West Division, Dr Rachel Makhari, welcomed the outcome and said the sentence reinforces the NPA’s commitment to holding accountable those who abuse positions of trust. She emphasised that corruption in institutions entrusted with public resources “undermines service delivery and erodes public trust.” The NPA said it remains committed to ensuring that offences involving the misappropriation of public funds are met with appropriate consequences.

Background note

According to IOL, in October 2024 it was reported that Molemane was employed at Sunrise View Primary School in the Rustenburg Area Office and acted as a signatory to the school’s bank account while carrying out administrative and financial duties.