A 57-year-old former acting school principal from Taung, North West, is facing serious corruption charges after allegedly running a job-for-cash scheme that netted R30,500 in illegal payments. The suspect was arrested by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (Hawks) corruption unit on Monday, February 17, following a detailed investigation into her conduct.
Between January 2022 and November 2024, the woman, who held the role of acting principal, reportedly exploited her position to solicit monthly kickbacks from a teacher in exchange for a lucrative teaching position. The Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula, confirmed that the accused initially offered the complainant a contractual Head of Department (HoD) role at the school. The contract was renewed in both 2022 and 2023, but it was not extended in 2024, with another candidate securing the position instead.
Afterward, the suspect allegedly proposed an arrangement where she would recommend the complainant for an acting principal role in return for financial compensation. According to Mathebula, the woman demanded R4,500 per month as a bribe, claiming it was for an acting allowance she would otherwise have lost. The complainant accepted the offer, and from February 2024 onwards, began making monthly payments that ranged from R4,500 to R5,200.
Investigators later discovered that the total sum paid to the suspect amounted to R30,500, confirming the illicit nature of the arrangement. Following a thorough investigation, the Hawks arrested the woman, and she is now facing corruption charges. She is scheduled to appear before the Taung Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, February 18, to answer to the charges.
