The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Eastern Cape has welcomed the sentencing of a 44-year-old South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) employee, Nombuso Dlamini and her 31-year-old boyfriend, Siyasanga Gqamane by the Mbizana Regional Court.
Dlamini was responsible for capturing social grant applications and Gqamane defrauded the agency by registering false social grants.
More than 30 bank cards were found in their home.
Dlamini and Gqamane have been sentenced to 10 and 8 years imprisonment, respectively, with two years of each sentence suspended for five years.
Provincial NPA Spokesperson Luxolo Tyali says, “The duo was found guilty for defrauding Sassa to an amount exceeding R1.2 million. They had opened a fictitious bank account using unsuspecting people’s ID and also Dlamini as a clerk responsible for capturing social grants applications registered fictitious social grants. After a lengthy trial, the duo pleaded guilty after the state had presented its evidence. As the NPA, we welcome the sentence with the hope that its gonna serve as a deterrent to other government officials who intend defrauding the state.”
In the video below, Sassa advises R350 grant applicants to use correct hotline:
