News24 reports that three suspects appeared in the Mbombela Magistrate's Court in Mpumalanga on Monday on charges of fraud, theft and money laundering after allegedly defrauding the Department of Education of more than R6.4 million.

"It is alleged that Pinky Norah Mbatsane, a former director in a government department, along with her son, Sibusiso Mbatsane, and her daughter-in-law, Nancy Mbatsane, allegedly colluded to defraud the Department of Education of over R6.4 million. All three suspects were employed in the same government department," Hawks spokesperson Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi indicated. Sibusiso, who worked as an inspector, and his wife, Nancy, a nutrition monitor, allegedly went around Mpumalanga recruiting private companies for tender contracts. "They took company documents from the owners and submitted them to the department as if those companies rendered services to the state. These companies would receive undue payments from the department, and the trio would later collect the funds from the owners of the companies. The government department subsequently suffered a total loss of approximately R6.4 million due to their fraudulent activities," Sekgotodi said. The case against the three was postponed to 12 July 2021.

• Read the original of the report in the above regard by Nicole McCain at News24

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