A former Hawks security official, who submitted a fake matric certificate for employment at the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Bellville, has been fined R5 000.
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The Bellville Magistrates’ Court found the 45-year-old Phelisa Lande, who was previously employed by the Directorate, guilty of two counts of fraud after pleading guilty. A warrant for Lande’s arrest was first issued in August 2022 by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Investigation team in Bellville for falsifying her qualifications.
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Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani says she made her first court appearance on 10 August last year, although she was released on R1 000 bail. ‘It is reported that in October 2021, there was a post advertised for a security official in the Hawks offices in Bellville. When she applied for the said position, the accused allegedly submitted a fraudulent matric certificate, which was one of the requirements for the post.
‘As a result, the accused was appointed as a Security official in Bellville, Western Cape office where she occupied the post on the [first of] April 2022. Upon noticing the suspicious certificate, the Hawks’ vetted the qualifications with the Department of Education to verify the authenticity of the certificate.
‘It was during this process that the allegation of fraud was discovered and further investigation revealed that the accused submitted the same qualification on her previous employment where she was employed as a security officer.’
Lande pleaded guilty on both counts and was sentenced to an R5 000 fine or five months direct imprisonment, which was wholly suspended for five years. The State withdrew two charges of contravening the provisions of Section 20 of the Security Industry Regulations Act 56 of 2001.
Major General Mathipa Makgato, the Hawks Provincial Head of the Western Cape, commended the team for their investigation efforts, adding ‘I hope this conviction will serve as a warning to others who will attempt to commit similar crimes.’
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