GroundUp reports that fewer than half of outstanding payments to beneficiaries of the Guardian’s Fund have been made, according to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.

GroundUp previously reported that criminals had breached the Guardian’s Fund System (GFS) and made off with over R17-million in April. Officials at the Fund have since been suspended for their possible involvement in the “fraudulent transactions”. The Fund manages money on behalf of people who are legally incapable or do not have the capacity to manage their own affairs such as minors, unborn heirs and missing people. It administered by the Master of the High Court with offices in Pretoria, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Kimberly and Makhanda. The money in the Fund is invested with the Public Investment Corporation and audited annually. On 23 June, the department confirmed that the GFS had been breached internally by “certain officials” and over R17-million had been taken. The officials have since been placed on precautionary suspension pending finalisation of an investigation. “We are pleased to inform the public that the department has obtained a preservation order for some of the stolen funds,” the department indicated. While department spokesperson Steve Mahlangu initially indicated that most of the beneficiaries would be paid by mid-June, this week he said 2,431 of the 5,035 outstanding payments had been processed.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mary-Anne Gontsana at GroundUp

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