Former Duneside Primary School principal, Clifford Chateau has plead guilty to defrauding the school out of close to R100 000.
Chateau (65) was sentenced to four years in prison for three of the five counts against him. Two were withdrawn.
The sentence was suspended for a period of five years, but he will serve three years correctional supervision at home, avoiding contact prison time.
According to the Hawks, Chateau reportedly defrauded the school after building work was commissioned at the school. The company, CBS, belonging to the accused submitted a quotation created by the principal.
Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Bronagh Hammond says the fraud was discovered by forensic services.
“The WCED received a complaint regarding alleged fraud in December 2019 from Provincial Forensic Services,” she says.
Provincial Forensic Services are a gate-keeping body within the provincial government where “instances and/or suspicions of fraud, theft and corruption affecting the Western Cape Government can be reported”.
Hammond says Chateau was no longer employed by the department at the time the fraud had been discovered.
He had retired from the school as principal in September 2019.
“In cases where employees are still in our employment, disciplinary action can be taken. However, since the educator had retired, we could not take further action,” says Hammond.
According to the Hawks’ statement, the SGB, on the accused’s recommendations appointed CBS to do the work.
Chateau would submit invoices by CBS to the SGB for approval, thereafter cheques were issued to CBS.
The company, CBS would cash the cheques and make cash payments into the bank account of the principal.
During the period of June 2017 to August 2017, the school paid CBS a total amount of R95 730.
“Chateau received a total of R36 400 cash payments into his bank account.
“The WCED notes the outcome of the case. We have cooperated fully with the investigation,” says Hammond.
