A woman in Gauteng found herself in police custody after allegedly trying to pass off fake teaching qualifications as legitimate at the South African Council for Educators (SACE) headquarters in Centurion, Tshwane.
According to SACE, the woman was arrested on Tuesday while attempting to submit falsified credentials from the University of South Africa (UNISA). Investigators say she had been teaching using a fake UNISA qualification and a forged SACE registration letter.
Authorities warn that this isn’t an isolated case.
SACE has urged anyone with fake documents to stay away from schools and their offices, emphasizing that systems are in place to identify and immediately arrest offenders. “We’ve reported the matter to the police and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), and we strongly advise applicants to stop submitting doctored credentials,” said the council.
Another Case: Over R1.2 Million Earned with Fake Qualifications
In a similar case, 41-year-old Ntombelanga Pretty Labane from Mpumalanga was arrested for working as a teacher since 2016 using fraudulent documents. Despite earning over R1.2 million in salaries, Labane reportedly never passed matric—South Africa’s high school exit exam.
Authorities say Labane failed matric four times between 2003 and 2006. She allegedly used someone else’s certificate number to forge a matric certificate, which she then used to gain admission to Walter Sisulu University. There, she completed a Bachelor of Education degree.
Her deception unraveled when a whistleblower alerted the Public Service Commission, which launched an investigation. The case was later handed over to the Hawks’ commercial crimes unit. Officials involved in her hiring claimed they couldn’t verify the certificate’s authenticity because they lacked the tools to detect fraud.
The Hawks confirmed that the certificate number Labane used belonged to another student, and the results listed on the fake certificate were not hers.