Ntombelanga Ntibane.
A former teacher from Amersfoort in Mpumalanga has been convicted and sentenced after using a fraudulent matric certificate to secure employment in the education sector.
According to Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, 43-year-old Nomalanga Labane allegedly failed matric several times before obtaining a fake matric certificate in 2003.
Labane later enrolled at Walter Sisulu University, where she completed a Bachelor of Education degree in 2014.
She was subsequently employed as a temporary teacher at Hlelimfundo Secondary School before later securing a permanent teaching position at Theu-Theu Primary School in Amersfoort.
The fraud came to light in 2022 after a whistleblower alerted the Department of Education about the fraudulent matric certificate. The department conducted an internal investigation and later handed the matter over to the Hawks for further investigation after gathering evidence.
Following an intensive investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit based in Secunda, Labane was summoned to court in 2024. She made several court appearances before pleading guilty to all charges on March 26, 2026.
On May 7, 2026, she was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years on condition that she is not convicted of a similar offence during the suspension period.
Authorities revealed that the Mpumalanga Department of Education suffered a financial loss of more than R1.1 million as a result of the fraudulent activities.
The Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Mpumalanga, Major General Nico Gerber, warned against fraud in the education sector, especially the use of forged qualifications.
“It is not only about the money lost, but more importantly about the future of learners who are not adequately prepared to take the country forward,” said Gerber.
