The Hawks is South Africa's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation which targets organised crime, economic crime, corruption, and other serious crime referred to it by the President or the South African Police Service. Hawks arrested former financial manager at the North West treasury for fraud linked to identity fraud. Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA)
Rustenburg - A former financial manager of the North West treasury has appeared in court for allegedly using fraudulent documents, including his wife’s identity document. to apply for the job.
Thabang Selemale, 53, appeared in the Molopo Magistrate's Court in Mmabatho on Thursday following his arrest by the Hawks on Wednesday in Pretoria.
The Hawks’ North West spokesperson, Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso, said: “It is alleged that the accused secured employment as a financial manager at the North West provincial treasury using fraudulent documents, including his wife’s identity document, where he replaced the photograph of his wife with his own. He allegedly further used the names of his wife in the application.
“After the appointment, the Persal system could not authorise the allocation of a Persal number because his ID number was incorrect.
“The department initiated internal investigations and during the process. It transpired that the accused subsequently submitted two false affidavits stating that he lost his ID and driver’s licence and has applied to Home Affairs to have them re-issued and corrected.”
She said Selemale allegedly absconded from the department when he was due to undergo a disciplinary hearing.
“It was later established that he allegedly owed the South African Revenue Service (Sars) and has a judgment against him of over R200 000 which was brought by the Sars in the North Gauteng High Court on 24 July 2014."
He was released on R2 000 bail and the matter was postponed to May 4 for a Regional Court appearance.
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