Four women, two of them nurses employed with the Department of Health in the Eastern Cape, have found themselves on the wrong side of the law.
Gladys Ntlawuzana-Komboyi, 48, and Nwabisa Precious Godlwana, 36, both employed at the Bambisana Hospital in Lusikisiki, and Mantshangase Abigail Godlwana, 59, and Gcobisa Godlwana, 22, were arrested on allegations that they defrauded the South African Security Agency (Sassa) to get child support grants.
According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as Hawks), Mantshangase and Gcobisa are mother and daughter who are related to Nwabisa.
The four women appeared in the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Tuesday, where they were officially charged with fraud and corruption, said Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana.
Shedding light on the alleged corruption, Mhlakuvana said Ntlawuzana-Komboyi, who was employed as a nurse in the maternity ward, had fraudulently registered the birth of twins on November 18, 2022.
"She was allegedly requested to do this by Nwabisa Godlwana, who worked in the paediatric section in the same hospital."
Mhlakuvana said it is alleged that on November 29, 2022, an application for a birth certificate was allegedly made at the Flagstaff Department of Home Affairs by 22-year-old Gcobisa Godlwana under the pretence that she was the mother of twins.
The following day, Gcobisa’s mother, Mantshangase, is alleged to have applied for a Child Support Grant (CSG) from Sassa at Bizana on her daughter’s behalf.
Mhlakuvana said there were discrepancies picked up, and the matter was referred to the Hawks.
"The investigation exposed that Abigail received an amount of R4,892 from the child support grant.
"Furthermore, the investigation divulged that those twins that were fraudulently registered with Home Affairs and received a CSG payout, did not exist at all," Mhlakuvana said.
Each of the women was released on R3,000 bail, and the matter was adjourned to October.
The Provincial Head of the Hawks in the Eastern Cape, Major General Obed Ngwenya welcomed the arrest.
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