Former Pretoria North school clerk sentenced for stealing over R800 000 in school funds

Mapaballo Borotho

A former Finance Clerk at Laerskool Akasia in Pretoria North has been convicted of stealing more than R846 000 in school funds.
She received a three-year suspended sentence and was ordered to repay R210 000.
The Gauteng Education Department praised its Anti-Corruption Unit for ensuring accountability and reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance on corruption.

A former Finance Clerk at a Pretoria North school has been convicted and sentenced for fraud and theft.

The Pretoria Magistrates’ Court convicted the former employee, who worked at Laerskool Akasia, in June 2025 following an investigation by the Education Department’s Anti-Corruption Unit.

She was sentenced in November 2025 to three years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years, and ordered to repay R210 000 to the school.

Spokesperson for the Gauteng Education Department, Steve Mabona, says the Department’s internal investigation found that between 2019 and 2021, the former Finance Clerk stole approximately R846 000 in school funds and manipulated bank statements to conceal the theft.

“The GDE commends its Anti-Corruption Unit for its diligent work in ensuring accountability and reiterates its zero-tolerance stance on corruption and financial misconduct within schools. The Department urges all school communities to report any suspected irregularities through official GDE channels,” said Mabona.