Investigation flags misuse of funds at Mandela School

German non-profit foundation Siemens Stiftung, which funds the Mvezo-based school, requested probe

A forensic investigation has flagged possible theft and misuse of funds at the Mandela School of Science and Technology.

German non-profit foundation Siemens Stiftung, which funds the Mvezo-based school, requested on April 22 that investigators Open Water Advanced Risk Solutions probe the possible misuse of funds transferred to the school.

Total funding received by the school is €100,000 (almost R2m).

According to the report N Nkathula, who is the school’s bookkeeper:

● “Unduly allocated” money to herself;

● Submitted misrepresentations over tutors to the school; and

● Manipulated supporting documentation “to mislead the funders and the department of education”.

Open Water advised funders to open a case against the bookkeeper as her conduct “may have met the elements of crime, fraud and theft”.

Nkathula told the Daily Dispatch she could not comment on the matter as there were further investigations in progress.

“I can only answer to Siemens, the SGB and [Open] Water,” she said.

The report recommends that Siemens and the Royal House of Mandela consider disciplinary proceedings against the principal, Nkosivumile Kwezi, for excessive hours claimed for teaching.

Contacted by the Dispatch on Sunday, Kwezi asked to be phoned during working hours. However, during the same call he referred questions to education department spokesperson Loyiso Pulumani. Pulumani is off sick.

Questions sent to his colleague Malibongwe Mtima had not been responded to by print deadline on Monday.

The Dispatch was also unable to reach education superintendent-general Themba Kojana.

According to a 2016 agreement, the report said, funding would cover teacher workshops and training; winter and summer school programmes for pupils; winter and summer school programmes for feeder teachers and pupils; exchange programmes; mentoring programmes for the school management; and upgrading the internet connection at the school.

Investigators obtained an income and expenditure spreadsheet for the July 2018 winter school, which showed R165,122,91 spent on various items relating to the budget request submitted to Siemens Stiftung.

“The income and expenditure spreadsheet was stamped and signed as correct by Mr Kwezi on 26 July 2018. We captured teacher’s claim payments from the requisition and claim forms ...

“The submission made to Siemens Stiftung on the utilisation of funds by the school was misrepresented in respect of payment to teachers.”

Open Water interviewed 13 teachers and two administrators “who confirmed that they did not receive the funds as per the budget request” at a rate of R350 per hour.

“The teachers received less funds than claimed for in the budget presented to Siemens Stiftung and were informed by [the school’s bookkeeper] that the school did not have sufficient funds, blaming Siemens Stiftung for the shortfall.

“[Nkathula] recorded the claims after she provided teachers with blank claim forms and requested them to only complete name, ID number, cell phone number and signature, and return the form to her. She later inserted the claimed amount.”

Investigators also found that the school “misrepresented” submissions made to Siemens.

“Teachers were short paid by R17,300.00, except for [one] , who received the R8,400.00 as per the budget request.

“Two teachers did not participate in the 2018 Winter School, but claims were submitted to Siemens Stiftung by [Nkathula] which misrepresented the utilisation of funds.”

According to the report, Nkathula “received R3,000, as well as a further R12,000, for administration functions not due to her”.

She told investigators that she had helped with cleaning and cooking in addition to her administration duties during the course of winter school.

She also allegedly claimed R24,647 against the winter school budget for an expenditure related to periods after the conclusion of the winter school, according to the report.

The school claimed R12,645 from Siemens Stiftung for stationery, although it did not buy any.

The report said the school asked Siemens Stiftung for R91,000 in funding for 13 teachers, though they “did not participate in teaching” and this was not paid to the teachers.

The Daily Dispatch was unable to reach Mandla Mandela for comment regarding the probe.

Mayibuye Mandela, great grandson to the late former president Nelson Mandela, said according to his calculations, “R3.5m has been looted” at the school over the years.