The Deputy Director of the North West Department of Public Works and Roads, Mmapitsi Virginia Seate appeared in the Mmabatho Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, November 13, facing 54 counts of fraud related to falsified travel expense claims.
According to a joint statement by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Seate (51) was arrested earlier in the day by the Mahikeng-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit. Her arrest follows an investigation into alleged fraudulent claims for travel expenses involving her private vehicle for purported official trips.
Seate, who is said to be a relative of Public Works and Roads MEC Elizabeth Mokua, was recently appointed as the Deputy Director for Stakeholder Relations in Head of Department Moss Kgantsi’s office, said sources in the department.
“She was recently appointed as deputy director for stakeholder relations in the Office of the HOD. When she started, she started in the MEC’s office. Number two, they are actually siblings. They are sisters. The lady and the MEC. The lady was initially in the MEC’s Office, but a couple of weeks later, she was moved to Kgantsi’s office,” a source said.
The charges against Seate stem from claims filed between February and November 2023, when she was still serving as a deputy director at the North West Department of Human Settlements. During this period, Seate allegedly submitted multiple claims for trips allegedly undertaken to various locations in the North West and Gauteng provinces.
Investigators found that these trips never occurred, yet Seate received over R119,000 in reimbursements. It was further revealed that her vehicle remained in Mahikeng on dates she claimed to have traveled to the said destinations.
The allegations were brought to the attention of the Hawks through an anonymous complaint to the Public Service Commission (PSC) in December 2023, prompting an investigation.
In March 2024, the PSC, in line with Rule 4(2)(e) of the PSC Rule on Conducting Investigations, 2017, referred the matter to the South African Police Service (SAPS) due to the criminal nature of the allegations. The PSC said it had previously requested relevant documentation from the North West Department of Human Settlements in January 2024 to review Seate’s travel claims.
The complaint alleged that Seate fraudulently submitted claims for Subsistence and Travel (S&T) allowances and mileage for trips she did not undertake. Furthermore, Seate allegedly tampered with attendance records, which officials submitted upon returning from meetings.
Seate’s court appearance was brief, and she was released on R5,000 bail. Her case is scheduled to continue on December 2, 2024.
Brigadier Silas Munzhedzi, the acting North West Provincial Head of the Hawks, and Dr. Rachel Makhari, the Director of Public Prosecutions in North West, welcomed the arrest, and vowed to strengthen their commitment to collaboration in holding public officials accountable.
Dineo Lolokwane, the spokesperson for the North West Department of Human Settlements referred African Times to Aubrey Motsurupe, the spokesperson for the North West Department of Public Works and Roads who in turn referred us back to her.
