Fraudster principal to start repaying his fine

A North West principal who is accused of defrauding the provincial department of education of almost R1-million will start his repayments within seven days.

The information came to light at the provincial legislature yesterday during the department's annual results presentation.

The portfolio committee on education requested education MEC Sello Lehari yesterday to implement the overdue settlement agreement reached between his department and Onkgopotse Tiro Comprehensive School principal Edwin Kgonothi.

This was after the department accused Kgonothi of sourcing fraudulent quotations from service providers and submitting them to the school under his supervision.

Onkgopotse Tiro is one of the province's mega schools and receives R10-million from the department annually.

Charges include:

Allegedly submitting a false quotation amounting to R538176 and creating an impression that it was sourced from, and submitted by, service providers;

Approving and paying travel claims of the SGB members and teachers valued at R103775 for the financial year 2013/2014 without necessary supporting documents attached to each claim submitted;

Sourcing three quotations from Gaosera Construction, Cleaning and Supplies; Kgetsi ya Puo Business Consultants; and Get Well Soon Distributors for the supply of cleaning materials - all three owned by one person;

Procuring services and goods from a number of companies in 2013 and 2014 totalling R13840 without sourcing the written quotation from relevant service providers;

Appointing Mathopu Projects for catering services rendered during a workshop in the amount of R7740 without the requisition form signed by two individuals;

Making payments to a number of service providers for services rendered and supplied to the school amounting to R237948 for which no invoices were presented; and

Making payment by issuing cheques amounting to R68812 for services rendered to the school without completing the counterfoils and paying a number of service providers R92950 by means of cheques without keeping copies of the cheques.

Despite identifying acts of misconduct and financial fraud by Kgonothi, the department chose a slap on the wrist for punishment.

In March the department resolved to issue a verbal warning and fine Kgonothi an equivalent of his one-and-a-half month's salary. The department said it would deduct the money in instalments of R2044.66 over a period of 24 months, starting in April this year.

Kgonothi was also to be transferred from his present post to another similar post with similar benefits. The transfer was supposed to have been effected in June.

Kgonothi's lawyer Phillip Masilo said charges against Kgonothi were without merit, arguing that Kgonothi was not involved in the sourcing of quotations from service providers.

Meanwhile, Lehari confirmed the agreement but said the two parties decided to amend a certain clause, hence the delay.

"It will be implemented next week," Lehari said. He said the amendment came after Kgonothi made an appeal as he felt "the agreement was too biased favouring the department".

Committee chairwoman Boitumelo Moiloa said they needed the agreement to be implemented within seven days. She said: "There is fraud that has been done. We want the department to implement it."