Mthatha Woman Appears in Court for Allegedly Defrauding Sassa of Child Grants for 13 Years: "Who Snitched?"
- A woman appeared in court for allegedly duping Sassa into making grant payments for her four children over 13 years
- The Commercial Crime Court in Mthatha heard that the woman, Suthukazi Buqili, applied for birth certificates from Home Affairs in 2002
- Buqili was released on a warning pending her next court appearance on 22 March, where she will appear to face the fraud charges
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
MTHATHA - A 50-year-old woman in the Eastern Cape appeared in court on Thursday after she was arrested for allegedly using deceptive means to acquire child support grants.
The Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crime Court heard that Suthukazi Buqili for 13 years misled the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) into paying her the grant money for her four children, TimesLIVE reported.
Source: Getty Images
Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Bonnie Nxumalo said Buqili successfully applied for four birth certificates from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in 2002. Her subsequent application for the child support grants was also successful.
"She began receiving child support grant payments for the four children in 2002. It was not until 2015 that discrepancies were picked up and a case of fraud opened at the Madeira police station," said Nxumalo.
Enjoy reading our stories? Download the BRIEFLY NEWS app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
"The suspect was charged with fraud following her recent arrest. A preliminary probe revealed that she had allegedly applied for two IDs using the same forenames and ID number," added Nxumalo.
Briefly News understands Buqili was released on a warning and will be back in court to face the fraud charges on 22 March. Meanwhile, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) seeks to recover R140 000 from a Sassa admin clerk who fraudulently registered a disability grant for her lover.
The Citizen reported that Portia Mathenjwa allegedly used a colleague's credentials to register a fraudulent disability grant in 2009. A probe was conducted by the Office of the Public Protector in 2019 after an anonymous complaint.
Netizens air their views
Locals decried the widespread coverage given to the actions of poor people as opposed to the deep-seated corruption carried out by politicians across various parastatals, including Sassa.
@Lucile Van de Wiele wrote:
"Yes, the poor always pay for their deeds but well-connected thieves strive with impunity."
@Maureen Dlutu said:
"Someone snitched on her. SA Home Affairs or Sassa is not as clever to suspect any fraud. This story is not complete."
@Emma Tshatsinde added:
"It took 13 years to figure that out? Now because you have realised the department is incompetent you feel happy that she will go to jail for fraud? Wow!!!"
Capitec theft suspect arrested for involvement in Absa fraud
Elsewhere, Briefly News previously reported that a third person was arrested by the Hawks for allegedly having a hand in defrauding Absa of R103 million amid his appearance in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Tuesday, 1 February.
According to News24, the 29-year-old man was in court to face similar charges after allegedly stealing R3.4 million from Capitec Bank. It's thought he was also in cahoots with Xolela Masebani, reportedly a relative of his, to steal the large sum of money from Absa, where the former worked as a specialist engineer.
"Gershom Matomane allegedly received R74 million of the money stolen by Masebani, who made transfers to six accounts, including one belonging to a company linked to Matomane," said Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu.
Source: Briefly News
