Ex-Headmaster Clifford Chateau Pleads Guilty to Defrauding R95,730 from Duneside Primary School

In a significant development making the headlines, Clifford Chateau, the former headmaster of Duneside Primary school in Mitchells Plain, South Africa, has pleaded guilty to defrauding almost R100,000 ($6,645 USD) from the school fund. He has been sentenced to four years' imprisonment, with the sentence suspended for five years, and he will serve three years under correctional supervision. This ruling is in agreement with Section 276(1)(h) of Act 51 of 1977, as informed by Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani.

The scam orchestrated by Chateau involved a building company dubbed CBS, which is revealed to have been owned by the accused. Chateau had creatively engineered a scheme where he submitted false quotations for building work to the school's Governing Body (SGB). Along with this, Chateau presented invoices from CBS for approval, wherein cheques were subsequently issued.

These cheques were cashed by CBS, which then made cash payments directly into Chateau's bank account. Between June and August of 2017, CBS received a total of R95,730 from the school, while Chateau admitted to receiving a total of R36,400 cash payments into his bank account.

The Western Cape Education Department has stated it will provide further responses to questions in due course.