Mukoni T Ratshitanga
A University of Zululand employee is facing 82 internal fraud charges ranging over two years.
The university “charge sheet” alleges that Anna Platt, an assistant buyer in the stores department, defrauded the university of R1,5-million between February 1995 and June 1997.
Platt allegedly made out false orders for curtains and mattress covers from a Richards Bay company, Curtain and Fabric Consultant, owned by Farida Moosa.
“[Platt] would induce … wardens to sign vague or fictitious invoices where no goods were ever supplied. [Moosa] would provide invoices to facilitate the ultimate issue of the cheques,” the charge sheet reads.
The amount still falls short of the R1,7-million allegedly spent on curtains, according to invoices in the possession of the Mail & Guardian.
During 1995 a requisition was made for R5 000 to print Unicom, an internal student publication. But the requisition number was used to pay Curtain and Fabric Consultants R91 000 for mattress covers.
Last year the M&G uncovered the spending spree, prompting the university to start probing in August last year. When the M&G made inquiries this year, the university said “much of the original documentation could not be located”. But on the same day university representative Carl de Villiers said the documents had been found and the investigation would continue.
Three weeks later, a preliminary report was produced that found no “criminal activity”. The report states that R600 000 was spent on curtains and linen items. The university said the purchase was prompted by “theft from the [student] residences of thousands of rands worth of [curtains, mattress covers and other linen items] … in November 1996”. But large amounts had been withdrawn since 1995, before thieves cleaned out the residences.
In April, De Villiers told the M&G that students supply their own mattress covers and bedding.
University staff are unhappy that Platt is not facing police charges. “If they are saying she is the one responsible … why not take [it] to the police?” asked a staff member.
University rector Charles Dlamini said the matter had been referred to the police. But this week De Villiers said they would only refer the charges to the police “if there is evidence for a criminal case”.