Nomahlubi Sonjica HERALD REPORTER
THE Eastern Cape education department is to hold disciplinary hearings next month for more than 200 education employees implicated in housing subsidy fraud.
The hearings follow a request by the education department‘s labour relations unit to the Public Service Accountability Monitor (Psam) to supply it with a list of education officials implicated in the housing fraud.
The monitor received a list of 645 Eastern Cape government officials under investigation for low-cost housing subsidy fraud after obtaining a High Court order compelling the department of housing to release it.
Of the 645 officials, 290 are from the department of education, 120 from health and 60 are members of the SA Police Service.
Education department spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said the employees‘ status and salary range disqualified them the benefit of a low-cost housing subsidy. “We are considering charges of bringing the department into disrepute.” Pulumani said most of the cases were in Libode, King William‘s Town and East London. According to Pulumani, officials implicated were from the department‘s 23 provincial districts.
Provincial housing and local government spokesman Phumlani Mdolomba said the department had filed criminal charges against the implicated officials.
“We handed the matter to the special investigative unit after we received a report from the auditor general in 2006.”
He said some of the officials were involved in negotiations with the unit on how they would pay back the department.
“Some have paid back the money already, but they still face criminal charges.”
He said the unit was tracing more officials in the province and nationally.
According to Psam, at least two teachers have been convicted of low-cost housing subsidy fraud. Both were sentenced to a fine of R10000 or three years‘ imprisonment.
“Psam commends the department of education for the steps it has taken to crack down on fraudulent employees, and calls on other departments to do the same,” said media and advocacy head Derek Lyt.