Finance Clerk Faces Court for Massive School Fraud in Lichtenburg

In a startling revelation of financial misconduct, Lorato Junitor Motiki, a 45-year-old finance clerk at Lichtenburg Primary School, faced the Lichtenburg Magistrates' Court on significant allegations of fraud and theft. Arrested by the Hawks' Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit based in Mahikeng, Motiki is entangled in accusations that involve diverting school funds to the tune of over R2.4 million into her personal accounts.

The court, bustling with media personnel and local residents, heard how between November 2019 and June 2023, Motiki allegedly executed multiple unauthorized transactions. These transactions were cleverly disguised as payments for ordinary school expenses such as stationery, security, and utility bills. However, investigations uncovered that these payments were routed to Motiki’s three different personal bank accounts, supposedly set up to look like vendor accounts.

Beyond the direct financial transactions, Motiki is accused of concocting fake authorization forms, complete with required signatures, to initiate releases of school funds. These forms purportedly confirmed the provision of services that, in reality, were never rendered, creating a dual layer of deceit and theft that severely impacted the school’s financial integrity.

Adding insult to injury, the fraudulent activities have been described as a severe betrayal of trust by Brigadier Silas Munzhedzi, North West Acting Provincial Head of the Hawks, and Dr. Rachel Makhari, Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West. Both officials highlighted the case as indicative of the challenges facing government institutions and underscored the importance of stringent oversight.

The R5000 bail set by the court reflects the serious nature of the allegations, even as the community reels from the scale of the betrayal. The case has been postponed to January 28, 2025, when Motiki is scheduled to appear before the Specialised Commercial Crime Court, which is expected to delve deeper into the intricacies of the case.

This incident not only underscores the vulnerabilities in the financial management systems of educational institutions but also stresses the need for improved audit and compliance mechanisms to prevent such occurrences in the future. It further casts a spotlight on the ripple effects of financial mismanagement, affecting everything from educational resources to the broader community’s trust in its institutions.