Washington, D.C. – House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) released the following statement after the House Ways and Means Committee advanced the Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act, a comprehensive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) reform package that includes his legislation, the Eliminating Fraud and Improper Payments in TANF Act:
“Washington’s abject failure to protect tax dollars has resulted in an unprecedented scale of fraud that threatens not only the sustainability of our safety net programs, but also the future economic viability of our nation. This problem is strikingly clear in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, where federal funds are administered by state governments with no federal oversight, leaving billions of dollars in taxpayer funding vulnerable to fraud and improper payments every year.
“That’s why I introduced…
CLICK HERE to read the FULL Arrington Fights to Crack Down on TANF Fraud article.
THE ISUZU MOTORS PAYROLL FRAUD (GQEBERHA, SA)
Date: February 16, 2026 Perpetrator: Natasja Slabbert (42)
Case Description: In a case that hit home for the Eastern Cape business community, Natasja Slabbert, a payroll administrator at Isuzu Motors South Africa’s Struandale plant, was arrested for an alleged R10.5 million fraud. The scheme, which began surfacing in late 2024, exploited the very systems designed to manage employee compensation. Slabbert allegedly manipulated payroll records to create false entries that appeared as legitimate deductions and contributions on employee payslips. In reality, these “deductions” were being diverted into her personal bank account.
The fraud was only uncovered after diligent employees noticed that their net “take-home” pay was significantly lower than expected, despite the gross amounts on their payslips remaining high. Following a thorough probe by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team and the NPA’s Specialised Commercial Crime Unit, it was discovered that in August 2024 alone, over R626,000 was unlawfully transferred. Slabbert was granted bail of R5,000 on February 17, 2026, and the case has been postponed to later in the month for further legal proceedings. This case highlights the critical need for “segregation of duties” in payroll departments, as a single point of failure allowed for the systematic siphoning of millions over nearly two years.
Link to Original: PE Express – Isuzu Payroll Fraud