Ghost Worker Fraud in Bethlehem Highlights South Africa’s Widening Payroll Scandal

What started as a local payroll anomaly in the Free State town of Bethlehem has now become part of a growing nationwide crisis, as two individuals accused of drawing salaries for jobs they never performed face fraud charges.

The suspects, Reitumetse Moeng (28) and Moeketsi Calvin Motloung (48), were arrested on 14 July 2025 for their alleged involvement in a ghost worker scheme that paid them roughly R10,000 per month, without either of them ever setting foot in the offices of the Dihlabeng Local Municipality.

They appeared before the Bethlehem Magistrate’s Court this week and were released on R5,000 bail each, with their case postponed to 14 August 2025.

A Scheme Years in the Making

The arrests follow a four-year investigation by the Bethlehem Serious Corruption Investigation unit, which launched its probe in 2021 after tip-offs about irregularities in the local payroll system. According to Lieutenant Colonel Zweli Mohobeleli, authorities spent years gathering and verifying evidence before handing the case to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

Not Just a Local Problem

While Bethlehem may seem like an unlikely epicentre for national outrage, the case fits into a larger pattern of payroll corruption that has increasingly gripped South Africa’s public sector. In recent months, ghost worker fraud has been uncovered in the South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Intelligence Division, where seven senior officials were arrested between June and July 2025.

In response, Parliament has called for a nationwide audit of government payrolls, and Police Minister Senzo Mchunu is under pressure to appoint independent investigators to root out this embedded corruption.

Ghost Workers: Organised Crime in Plain Sight

Jan Naudé de Villiers, chairperson of Parliament’s Public Service and Administration Portfolio Committee, has described ghost worker fraud as “sophisticated criminality” requiring inside coordination.

“This is not just someone slipping through HR cracks. These are organised criminal networks embedded within state systems,” de Villiers warned.

He added that fighting ghost worker syndicates will require more than internal disciplinary processes. “We’re dealing with systemic payroll abuse. We need criminal prosecutions and institutional reform,” he said.

Public Reaction: “Where’s the Accountability?”

On social media, South Africans expressed fury and dismay, with hashtags like #GhostWorkers and #RoguePayroll trending on X (formerly Twitter). One user posted:

“Millions of rands stolen while service delivery fails. People are dying in queues while ghost workers collect salaries in their sleep. Where’s the accountability?”

Others demanded that more municipalities and departments be audited, particularly in rural areas and small towns like Bethlehem, which often escape media scrutiny.

Why This Matters: Public Trust and Service Delivery

With over 19 million people relying on government services like Sassa grants, health clinics, and public schools, payroll fraud doesn’t just waste money, it directly undermines public trust and robs communities of critical service delivery.

While the Bethlehem case may involve only two suspects, it symbolizes a deeper dysfunction in South Africa’s public administration, one where fraud thrives in the shadows of weak oversight, inadequate auditing, and poorly managed HR systems.

As the investigation into the Dihlabeng scheme continues, the pressure is mounting on government institutions to act decisively, not only to prosecute those involved but to clean up payroll systems across all levels of government.

For South Africans, the scandal is more than a financial crime. It is a test of whether the government can uphold its promise of transparency and restore integrity to the public sector.

{Source: The Citizen}

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