Online Reporter
A Zimbabwean Kudakwashe Mpofu who secured a job in South Africa as a chief financial officer (CFO), using a fake permanent resident permit, has been jailed for three years, the media in the neighbouring country reports.
Mpofu (33) got a job as CFO at the North West Development Corporation (NWDC) using fraudulent means.
The Molopo Specialised Commercial Crimes Court convicted and sentenced Mpofu to three years direct imprisonment after he admitted he used a fake South African permanent residence permit to secure employment at the State-owned entity.
He received an additional three-year suspended sentence.
According to reports, Mpofu first joined the NWDC in 2021 as an asset manager after submitting falsified documents during the recruitment process. He was later promoted to CFO in June 2023, a role that placed him in charge of managing millions in public funds.
Prosecutors told the court that investigations by the Hawks confirmed the permit he used had never been issued by Home Affairs. Over the course of his employment, Mpofu earned more than R3 million. He pleaded guilty to both counts of fraud.
In a statement, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) said investigators found that Mpofu used a fake South African permanent residence permit, which he admitted buying for R3,000 from a private individual with no link to the Department of Home Affairs.
An SIU investigation also uncovered several other fraudulent documents in his possession, including a Critical/Exceptional Skills Visa, a work permit and an exemption certificate dated 1996, when he was only five years old.
Using the forged documents, Mpofu continued to live and work in South Africa after his student visa expired. He went on to secure senior posts at the NWDC, first as an assets manager earning R900,000 per year, and later as CFO on a salary of R1.63 million.
He also used the fake papers to obtain a South African driver’s licence and access vehicle financing, acquiring a Land Rover Sport, BMW 3 Series and Ford Ranger.
The case stemmed from a 2023 tip-off to Home Affairs and fell under the SIU’s broader investigation into the fraudulent issuing of visas and permits.
Evidence gathered by the SIU was later handed to the National Prosecuting Authority, leading to Mpofu’s prosecution and conviction.
Reacting to the ruling, Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on Economic Development, Environment, Conservation, and Tourism (DEDECT) in the North West, Jóhni Steenkamp, said the sentence reflects the gravity of Mpofu’s actions and the damage caused to public institutions.
He stressed that this was not a simple oversight but a deliberate deception that enabled an unqualified candidate to take control of a key financial portfolio.
“Fraud at such a senior level of public administration cannot be treated lightly,” Steenkamp said, adding that the case highlights a deeper systemic failure within the NWDC.
“Mpofu did not appoint himself. Someone in authority approved his appointment without conducting due diligence, and that individual remains within the system,” he added.
Steenkamp said this failure points to possible weaknesses, or negligence, within the NWDC’s human resources, verification processes and oversight structures. – The Star
