Refilwe Seabelo is accused of stealing R117,000 of a primary school's funds.
Image: NPA and Hawks
Refilwe Seabelo, 35, an administration clerk at SG Ntuane Primary School in Tlhatlhaganyane Village, North West, is accused of stealing from the school R177,000.
Seabelo appeared before the Mogwase Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, December 4, charged with theft and fraud.
In 2020, the school governing council found questionable activity from two school bank accounts, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks) and the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) said in a joint statement.
"The matter was reported to the Klerksdorp-based Hawks' Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit," the statement read.
"Investigation revealed that an amount of R177,000 was transferred from the school's bank accounts to Seabelo's personal bank account, and the funds were used for her own personal gain. Seabelo was reportedly one of the signatories in the school's bank accounts."
She was arrested on Tuesday, December 3, on allegations of fraud and theft.
She appeared in court and was released on R5,000 bail. The case was rescheduled for February 7, 2025, at the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
Brigadier Silas Munzhedzi, the North West acting provincial head of the Hawks, and Dr Rachel Makhari, the director of public prosecutions in the province, praised the investigation and prosecution teams for rooting out wrongdoing in government institutions.
In a similar case, in October 2024, two former school administrators from the North West were freed on R5,000 bail each after being arrested for allegedly diverting monies from the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP).
The suspects are Mary Ntombi Mielies, 36, a former treasurer of the School Governing Body (SGB), and Masilonyana Kenneth Selebalo, 51, a former administrative clerk of Thakadu Primary School in Tlokweng.
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