Four Sassa fraudsters ordered to pay back the money

Four women who had been collecting child support grants for non-existent children since 2012 using fake birth certificates have been convicted of fraud and ordered to pay back the money.

Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Magonseni Nkosi said Nonhlanhla Madalane, 36, Tswarelo Masuku, 32, Nelile Shiba, 29, and Prudence Nkosi, 31, were also slapped with a five-year prison sentence suspended for five years on condition they are not found guilty of fraudulent activities during the period of suspension.

Nkosi said the women were arrested after an anonymous whistle-blower reported the criminal activities to the Public Service Commission. He said the information received was that the women had defrauded the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) by colluding with an unknown nurse, who then gave them fraudulent proof of the children’s birth.

“They then registered the ghost children with the department of home affairs and acquired birth certificates. They used the birth certificates to access child support grants from Sassa. 

“The matter was allocated to the Hawks' Mbombela-based serious commercial crime investigation unit for further handling. 

“The investigation revealed that the fraudulent activities dated back from 2012 until they were reported in 2023,” said Nkosi.

The four women were arrested and released on bail in May 2023 and sentenced on Thursday.

“They were also ordered to pay back the money lost by Sassa in instalments. Madalane was ordered to pay back R20,330 and Masuku R20,238. Shiba and Nkosi were ordered to each pay back R10,344.

Mpumalanga Hawks head Maj-Gen Nico Gerber applauded the team for presenting a watertight case to court.

“Crime does not pay, and the convicts now need to pay back the money. State grants are for the poor and needy and not meant for fraudsters who only want to benefit their own selfish interests.”

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