Cape Town – A 54-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly embezzling R1.5 million while she was a clerk at the Thabazimbi Christian School in Limpopo.
Bessie Pretorious appeared in the Thabazimbi Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo on Thursday where she was granted R7 000 bail.
Pretorious, who worked as a financial clerk at the school, allegedly embezzled the funds between 2017 and 2018 by transferring the money into her personal bank account, Limpopo Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Matimba Maluleke said.
“It is alleged that between 2017 and 2018, the suspect was employed as a financial clerk at Thabazimbi Christian School and her main responsibility was to manage the school finances,” Maluleke said.
“Instead of truthfully managing the school finances, the suspect (Pretorius) allegedly stole some of the school money and transferred it into her personal bank account on numerous occasions,” Maluleke said.
Suspicion arose within the school’s management, leading to an audit that uncovered the fraudulent activities.
“The audit report revealed the fraudulent activities, as a result, a case of fraud was opened and transferred to Hawks Serious Commercial Crime (unit) based in Polokwane for further investigation,” he said.
The case was then handed over to the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime unit in Polokwane for further investigation.
Following a successful arrest warrant execution, Pretorious was released on bail, and her case has been postponed to July 18, 2023.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
