Free State police have arrested a former Department of Health employee for allegedly forging a matric certificate to secure a government job more than a decade ago.
Manini Monco-Mahlaku, 49, appeared before the Sasolburg Magistrates Court on Thursday on charges of forgery and uttering.
Provincial Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Zweli Mohobeleli said in a statement Monco-Mahlaku applied for a position in April 2011 and was hired as a basic ambulance assistant in July that year.
POLICE INVESTIGATION LEADS TO ARREST
An investigation later revealed that she had allegedly falsified another person’s matric certificate and submitted it as her own.
She resigned from the department in September 2022.
According to Mohobeleli, the department suffered a financial loss of more than R2.2 million during the period she was employed.
The Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit investigated the allegations, leading to her arrest on Wednesday.
Monco-Mahlaku was granted bail of R5,000, and the case has been postponed to 24 November 2025.
Mohobeleli said it has been transferred to the Kroonstad Specialised Commercial Crimes Court for further investigation.
