The sentencing of former North West Development Corporation (NWDC) chief financial officer Kudakwashe Mpofu, whose rise to one of the province’s most powerful financial posts was built on fraud, has been welcomed.
Mpofu, 33, was sentenced by the Molopo Specialised Commercial Crimes Court to three years direct imprisonment after admitting 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.
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.
He noted that earlier this year the DA formally requested that the MEC for Economic Development disclose the vetting procedures for senior appointments across provincial entities.
“To date, the department has failed to respond. This silence speaks volumes,” he said.
The party has now renewed its call for a comprehensive audit of all senior appointments across the department and its entities, warning that without proper verification systems, the province remains vulnerable to similar incidents of fraud, mismanagement, and financial risk.
The DA insists that anyone found complicit, through oversight failures or intentional misconduct, must face disciplinary and criminal consequences.
The Star
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