RUSTENBURG SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR FACES 175 COUNTS IN R1 MILLION FRAUD CASE

Rustenburg – The Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court has postponed the high-profile case against Ofentse Solomon Molemane (34) to 14 November 2024. Molemane, who faces a staggering 175 counts of fraud and theft, made his first court appearance on Monday 28 October 2024, following his voluntary surrender to the police. He was granted bail of R5,000 under conditions requiring him to report to the Mogwase police station twice weekly and to surrender his passport to authorities.

Molemane, formerly employed as an administrative assistant within the Department of Education in Rustenburg, held a trusted position that included financial duties for a local school. 

Serving as a financial officer on the school governing body (SGB) and an authorised signatory on the school’s bank account, he was entrusted with handling transactions solely for school-related expenses. However, investigations have revealed a darker side to his role, implicating him in large-scale theft involving over R1 million. According to court disclosures, Molemane is suspected of using his position to transfer school funds into his personal account multiple times between January 2019 and March 2020. In addition, records indicate that in March 2020, Molemane allegedly transferred six separate payments from the school’s account to his girlfriend’s account. 

This second suspect, who remains at large, is believed to have had no legitimate ties to the school and rendered no services warranting payment, deepening the severity of the charges.

Dr Rachel Makhari, the director of Public Prosecutions in North West Province, praised law enforcement and the prosecution team for bringing the case to court and reaffirmed the National Prosecuting Authority’s commitment to holding public officials accountable.