Two individuals accused of being ghost workers on the Dihlabeng Local Municipality payroll appeared before the Bethlehem Magistrate’s Court facing charges of fraud and corruption.
Reitumetse Moeng (28) and Moeketsi Calvin Motloung (48), who appeared in court on Monday, 14 July, are accused of receiving R10,000 monthly salaries from the municipality without ever setting foot in the municipal offices or performing any work duties.
The alleged scheme, which investigators believe ran for several years, represents a textbook case of what authorities call “bogus employee” fraud. The Hawks received their first tip about suspicious names appearing on the Dihlabeng Municipality’s payroll in 2021. What followed was a four-year investigation by investigators who carefully examined municipal documents such as financial records to solve the case.
The investigation revealed that both accused allegedly received monthly salaries, despite having no record of actually reporting for work or contributing to municipal operations.
Moeng and Motloung appeared before the Bethlehem Magistrate’s Court, where they were each granted bail of R5 000. The case has been postponed until Thursday, 14 August, for further investigation.
