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Imposters will face charges

KWAZULU-NATAL'S 53 axed bogus "teachers" who defrauded the education department of R14million in salaries are also facing criminal charges.

The provincial department said yesterday it had referred the matter to the police, who were ready to proceed with criminal investigations and charges.

Initially 56 teachers had submitted fraudulent qualifications to the department of education, and had been working with fake certificates between 2004 and 2008. Three of them have since died.

Most of these teachers are from schools in the Obonjeni and Vryheid areas.

The department said it was determined to recover all the money one way or another.

When asked if their pension funds would also be confiscated, department spokesperson Mbali Thusi said the R14million figure was inclusive of the all the money paid to the bogus teachers in a salary package, a portion of which went to pension fund contributions.

"This means that even the contributions to the government pension funds will not be paid out to them because they came from the salary package they were paid illegally.

"The pension fund contributions were made from monies they defrauded us of - nothing will be paid out to them," she said.

Thusi said they were working closely with their attorney to make sure that the money was recovered and that the "teachers" faced appropriate action for what they had done.

"We have referred the matter to the police to proceed with the criminal case.

"We are going to make sure that each cent paid to these 'teachers' is paid back to the department."

The breakthrough in rooting out bogus "teachers" and corruption in the department follows an internal control and risk management exercise done earlier this year.

The department has described the scam as having resulted in financial losses to the department and has compromised the learning of thousands of learners who have been taught by the impostors.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Mdunge said the police would investigate the matter once it came to their attention.

At the moment they were not sure where the cases were opened.

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