Pinky Norah Mbatsane (66), Nancy Mbatsane (47), and Sibusiso Mbatsane (46) appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 28 June 2021. They were served by the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team with a summons to appear before the court on charges of fraud, theft, and money laundering.
It is alleged that Pinky Norah Mbatsane, a former director in a government department along with her son Sibusiso Mbatsane, and her daughter-in-law Nancy Mbatsane allegedly colluded to defraud the Department of Education over R6.4 million. All three suspects were employed in the same government department.
Sibusiso, who worked as an inspector along with his wife Nancy who was a Nutrition Monitor reportedly moved around Mpumalanga recruiting private companies for tender contracts. They took company documents from the owners and submitted them to the department as if those companies rendered services to the State.
These companies would receive undue payments from the department, the trio would later collect the funds from the owners of the companies. The government department subsequently suffered a total loss of approximately R6 414 659,94 due to their fraudulent activities.
The case against the trio was postponed to 12 July 2021 for the appointment of the attorneys.
