POTCHEFSTROOM – The Provincial Commissioner of North West, Lieutenant General Arthur Adams, has welcomed the sentencing of a 37-year-old man, Ofentse Solomon Molemane, who was convicted on multiple counts of fraud by the Rustenburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Monday, 03 August 2026.
The court heard that Molemane defrauded the School Governing Body (SGB) of a local primary school in Boitekong, while performing financial and administrative duties. By misrepresenting financial transactions and falsifying records, he misled the school’s management and concealed his criminal activities. Financial reports presented during school meetings eventually uncovered the unauthorised transactions, which resulted in Molemane unlawfully benefiting by more than R1 million between January 2019 and March 2020.
The matter was subsequently reported to the police, leading to an investigation and Molemane’s arrest on Monday, 28 October 2024.
Molemane pleaded guilty to all 170 counts of fraud. He was sentenced to 12 years’ direct imprisonment. The court ordered that he serve eight years of the sentence, while the remaining four years were suspended for a period of eight years on condition that he is not convicted of fraud committed during the period of suspension.
Welcoming the sentence, Lieutenant General Arthur Adams said that fraud is not a victimless crime, because it robs institutions of resources intended to serve communities and undermines public trust. He emphasized that the South African Police Service remains committed to ensuring that those who abuse positions of trust for personal gain are thoroughly investigated and brought before the courts.
Lieutenant General Adams further commended the investigating team, the prosecution and all stakeholders whose commitment and professionalism contributed to the successful finalisation of the matter, reaffirming that the SAPS will continue working closely with the National Prosecuting Authority to combat commercial crime and protect public funds.