Three people — including two Department of Labour registration supervisors — have appeared in the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court for allegedly defrauding the department of more than R53,000 through a fraudulent Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) claim.
The accused, Simphiwe Dube (22), Fekeza Mathe (36), and Mathews Pitse (48), were arrested earlier this week by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit.
According to Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula, the case involves a UIF application submitted in October 2019 that was later found to be fraudulent.
“Our investigation established that the claimant had never been employed by the company he claimed to work for, yet the application was processed and paid,” Mathebula said.
Further investigation uncovered irregularities in how the claim was handled. Mathebula explained that Pitse, a registration supervisor at the Klerksdorp Labour office, used the Mmabatho centre number instead of Klerksdorp’s — one of the red flags that triggered the probe.
After the UIF payout, the funds were allegedly shared among the trio. The claimant reportedly transferred R24,500 to Dube and R21,500 to Mathe shortly after receiving the money.
The three suspects were arrested on 17 and 18 November, charged with fraud, and appeared in court on Wednesday. Each was granted R2,000 bail, and the matter was postponed to 7 January 2026.
Mathebula added that the Hawks are still attempting to trace the original claimant — the main suspect — who remains at large.
