News / Regional
Thieving bursar thrown behind bars
01 Jun 2014 at 09:18hrs | Views
A FORMER bursar at Empandeni Primary School who appeared in court facing charges of embezzling school funds has been sentenced to six months imprisonment.
Sphilisiwe Mpofu (26), pleaded not guilty but was convicted because of overwhelming evidence.
Mpofu stole $1 545 and R2 785 within a period of three months while she was employed as the school's bursar which led to her being suspended.
The court heard that parents were paying school fees in full but the accused person was understating amounts when filling out duplicate and fast copies of the receipts thereby creating the impression that some parents owed the school when they did not.
The original receipts which parents were being given after paying and the duplicates had varying amounts.
She converted the difference to her own use.
She also went on to convert to her own use money that was collected through a debt collection exercise. The matter came to light after school authorities approached parents highlighting that they owed the school.
Parents, however, disputed this and produced their receipts as evidence that they had completed their payments.
An inspection of the payment records then revealed that some of the money was missing.
Plumtree magistrate Mr Gideon Ruvetsa sentenced Mpofu to 18 months imprisonment of which six months were suspended for five years on condition that she does not commit an offence of the same nature. Six months were suspended on condition that she pays $1 000 to the school.
Prosecuting, Ms Jane Phiri said Mpofu stole the funds from the period extending 2 November, 2012 to 16 January last year.
"The duties of the accused person included receiving money for school fees from parents and children. However, she receipted different amounts on the original and duplicate receipts. On the original she endorsed the correct amount paid but she was understating the amount on the duplicate copies," she said.
Phiri said during the same period the accused person conducted a debt collection exercise in the company of a debt collector.
She was supposed to hold onto the money and hand it over to the school but she converted it to her own use.
Phiri said the school head, Mr Zwelikude Ngolosi, then realised the anomalies and alerted education officials who conducted an internal audit.
Sphilisiwe Mpofu (26), pleaded not guilty but was convicted because of overwhelming evidence.
Mpofu stole $1 545 and R2 785 within a period of three months while she was employed as the school's bursar which led to her being suspended.
The court heard that parents were paying school fees in full but the accused person was understating amounts when filling out duplicate and fast copies of the receipts thereby creating the impression that some parents owed the school when they did not.
The original receipts which parents were being given after paying and the duplicates had varying amounts.
She converted the difference to her own use.
She also went on to convert to her own use money that was collected through a debt collection exercise. The matter came to light after school authorities approached parents highlighting that they owed the school.
Parents, however, disputed this and produced their receipts as evidence that they had completed their payments.
An inspection of the payment records then revealed that some of the money was missing.
Plumtree magistrate Mr Gideon Ruvetsa sentenced Mpofu to 18 months imprisonment of which six months were suspended for five years on condition that she does not commit an offence of the same nature. Six months were suspended on condition that she pays $1 000 to the school.
Prosecuting, Ms Jane Phiri said Mpofu stole the funds from the period extending 2 November, 2012 to 16 January last year.
"The duties of the accused person included receiving money for school fees from parents and children. However, she receipted different amounts on the original and duplicate receipts. On the original she endorsed the correct amount paid but she was understating the amount on the duplicate copies," she said.
Phiri said during the same period the accused person conducted a debt collection exercise in the company of a debt collector.
She was supposed to hold onto the money and hand it over to the school but she converted it to her own use.
Phiri said the school head, Mr Zwelikude Ngolosi, then realised the anomalies and alerted education officials who conducted an internal audit.
Source - Sunday News
