Three Arrested for Fraudulent Disability Grant Applications in Limpopo
Two women and a South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) official are set to return to the Kgapane magistrate’s court on Thursday, facing charges of fraud for allegedly submitting false documents to obtain disability grants. The accused are Mphekgwana Elisa Modjadji, 59, Lefupane Mahloatlie Mamotome, 58, and Malekutu Walter Ramoshaba, 48, who were arrested in Limpopo on Tuesday.
The case dates back to applications made by Modjadji and Mamotome at the Bolobedu Sassa office on May 26, 2021, and December 23, 2021, respectively. According to Hawks spokesperson Col Katlego Mogale, a Sassa official provided the two women with application forms to be filled out by government doctors.
However, the forms were initially incomplete and denied approval because neither Modjadji nor Mamotome qualified for the disability grants. They later resubmitted the forms with alterations that allowed them to be approved for the grants.
Suspicion arose when a capturing clerk noticed discrepancies in the applications and reported the matter to the Hawks’ serious corruption investigation unit. Further investigation revealed that the handwriting on the fraudulent documents matched that of a Sassa employee.
The case has been postponed until Thursday for a formal bail application.