A former teacher from Amersfoort has been convicted and sentenced after allegedly using a fraudulent matric certificate to further her studies and secure employment within the education sector.
According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, 43-year-old Nomalanga Labane allegedly failed matric several times before obtaining a fake matric certificate in 2003. She later enrolled at Walter Sisulu University, where she completed a Bachelor of Education degree in 2014.
Labane was employed as a temporary teacher at Hlelimfundo Secondary School before later securing a permanent post at Theu-Theu Primary School in Amersfoort.
The matter came to light in 2022 after a whistleblower alerted the Department of Education about the fraudulent matric certificate. Following an internal investigation, the case was handed over to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit in Secunda.
After several court appearances, Labane pleaded guilty to all charges on 26 March 2026. She was sentenced on 07 May 2026 to five years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years, on condition that she is not convicted of a similar offence during the suspension period.
Authorities said the Mpumalanga Department of Education suffered a financial loss of more than R1.1 million as a result of the fraudulent activities.