Police officer blows the whistle on matric certificate fraud at internet cafe

Two women have been arrested in the Johannesburg city centre on a charge of falsifying matric certificates.

Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Lloyd Ramovha said officials made the arrests after an alert police officer observed suspicious behaviour at an internet cafe.

“The suspects were found altering and editing a matric statement of results as well as the certificate issued in 2014. The misrepresentation was aimed at reflecting a university entry qualification.”

Electronic devices, including a computer and cellphone were confiscated.

The women aged 24 and 30 were arrested on Thursday and made a brief appearance in the city's magistrate's court on Monday. They were each granted bail of R500. The case has been postponed to April 7 for further investigation.

Maj-Gen Ebrahim Kadwa, the head of the Hawks in Gauteng, said: “Crimes like these undermine the credibility of our education system and the hard work of countless South Africans. We will not tolerate such deceit. The public is urged to report any fraudulent activities to the authorities to aid in the fight against crime.”

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