Mmapitsi Virginia Seate (51), a deputy director at the North West Department of Public Works and Roads, appeared in the Mmabatho Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 13 November 2024, facing 45 counts of fraud.
Seate was arrested earlier today by Members of the Mahikeng-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation. Her arrest follows allegations of fraudulent activities in the submission of claims for using her private motor vehicle on official trips. The allegations were brought to the attention of the Hawks by the Public Service Commission (PSC)
Between February 2023 and November 2023, Seate, when she was still a deputy director at the North West Department of Human Settlements, allegedly submitted claims for official trips she had undertaken to various destinations in North West and Gauteng Province. The department reportedly paid the accused over R119 000,00 for the claims submitted.
It was revealed during the investigation that the accused never travelled to the destinations mentioned in the claim forms. Investigation further uncovered that her private vehicle was in Mahikeng on the dates she had claimed to have traveled to various destinations.
Seate made a brief court appearance and was released on R 5000,00 bail. Her matter was postponed to 02 December 2024. The acting North West Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Brigadier Silas Munzhedzi and the Director of Public Prosecutions in North West, Dr Rachel Makhari have welcomed the arrest and subsequent court appearance of the accused.