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HomeWeekly RoundupDoH official arrested for alleged bursary fraud

DoH official arrested for alleged bursary fraud

A Department of Health official from Kimberly has been arrested by the Hawks for alleged bursary fraud.

According to a News24 report, Hawks spokesperson, Captain Philani Nkwalase, said 44-year-old Lindiwe Cynthia Nqumashe was arrested for fraud worth over R80,000.

“Nqumashe works for the Department of Health attached to the students' bursary funds office dealing with allocation of funds to successful bursary applicants,” said Nkwalase. “She allegedly approved extra payments for bursary (funds) to be paid in certain students' university accounts and thereafter contacted (the) university saying that the department paid extra funds by mistake and requested them to pay back part of the extra funds into a specific account, which she allegedly used to launder the bursary funds and used it for her personal gain.”

Nkwalase said the fraudulent incidents were believed to have taken place between 2009 and 2014, with a number of students targeted in the alleged fraudulent activity.

Nkwalase said the Hawks investigation began in 2016, after receiving a tip-off about the alleged movement of funds to an individual’s account.

The report says Nqumashe appeared briefly at the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on several charges of fraud and money laundering. She was released on R3,000 bail and the case was postponed to 12 September 2017.

[link url="http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/government-employee-arrested-for-bursary-fraud-20170902"]News24 report[/link]

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