Nketu Nkotswe is the mayor of Moses Kotane municipality. Madikela had a five-year contract from Moses Kotane for the period 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2024, earning an annual salary of nearly R1.3 million.
A national water and sanitation department director has been arrested for working simultaneously for the government and a North West municipality — and masking the alleged fraud by submitting sick notes and study-leave requests.
Gabonewe Ridah Madikela was nabbed on Monday and appeared on Tuesday in the Mmabatho specialised commercial crimes court, sitting in Mogwase in North West.
She faces six charges of fraud, or an alternative count of theft, for receiving a combined net salary of R522 881.79, from April to September last year, from the Moses Kotane Local Municipality while employed by the national department of water and sanitation.
The elaborate scam, as detailed in the state’s investigative notes, included “forged” sick notes from an apparently non-existent doctor who Madikela said had examined her, and hospitalised her at a private medical facility in Pretoria.
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) documents, Madikela had a five-year contract from Moses Kotane for the period 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2024, earning an annual salary of nearly R1.3 million.
Madikela applied for study leave from 30 March to 24 May 2022.
“In support of the application and/or the [the] request for study leave, [Madikela] submitted a confirmation of registration letter from Southern Business School as well as the programme for research deadlines. Leave was granted, as requested, by the municipality,” read the state’s documents.
Along with the study leave request, Madikela applied for 39 days annual leave, from 8 May to 27 June last year.
“At the end of the annual leave, Madikela began to submit sick notes from Netcare Akasia Hospital [in Pretoria] purportedly issued by Dr Antonio Piero Lamberti that indicated that she was sickly and/or was hospitalised,” the NPA alleges.
The state added that Madikela did not report for work at the municipality at any stage between 1 April and September last year, and at all times during that period was “employed as a director by the Department of Water and Sanitation in Pretoria”.
“She misrepresented, calculated, pretended and induced the municipality to believe that she was attending to her studies and/or that she was on annual leave and/or that she was either sickly and/or hospitalised,” the NPA claims.
It added that Madikela allegedly defrauded the municipality of R522 881.79, which was the total amount of her net salary at the municipality from R82 129.06 to R103 829.81 a month.
This, the state says, was after Madikela had submitted medical certificates as part of the alleged ruse to dupe Moses Kotane municipality.
“The sick note that she submitted to the municipality was not genuine or correct, and that it was forged and/or falsified. The sick note was not issued by Dr Antonio Piero Lamberti, and further that Dr Lamberti was not working for Akasia Netcare Hospital,” alleges the state.
“Dr Lamberti had never seen and/or consulted with [Madikela] and that the signatures on the sick notes were forged. She was no longer an employee of Moses Kotane Local Municipality and was, therefore, not entitled to remuneration.”
A well-placed source within the water and sanitation department, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the arrest of Madikela exposed the depth of what they called “incompetence” in the recruitment of skilled personnel within the department.
“We have many people within the department in critical positions requiring technical skills and experience that should not be anywhere near water and sanitation. Unfortunately, political pressures and influences usually allow the rot to continue without any consequences,” the source contended.
“I’m glad [Madikela] was arrested because it exposes the incompetence that we need to deal with because of our failing recruitment systems.”
In a statement on Tuesday, the department said it welcomed Madikela’s arrest, saying this was the result of a forensic investigation conducted after the municipality contacted water and sanitation officials in September last year about the alleged fraudster’s employment status.
“During this time, she continued to receive an income from both entities for a period of six months. The investigation revealed that she was able to achieve this by submitting applications to the municipality for leave of absence in the form of sick, vacation and study leave to justify her continued absence from the municipality whilst at the same time rendering full-time services to the department,” the department said.
It added that after Madikela unsuccessfully tried to “delay the disciplinary proceedings”, she pleaded guilty to internal charges of fraud and dishonesty and the department shared its investigation report and supporting evidence with the police.
The statement said Madikela applied, was interviewed and hired at water and sanitation “on merit”.
“The department upholds its stance of zero tolerance to fraud and corruption and welcomes the arrest as a sign of the government’s commitment to fighting fraud and corruption,” the department said.
“This swift action should be construed as a grave general deterrent to all other officials within the public service, as well as those members of the public who interact with public service departments and entities, that any contravention of any laws will be met with rigorous consequences.”
Madikela was released on R10 000 bail and will return to court on 19 April for pre-trial issues to be sorted out.