MerSETA dismisses fraudulent senior manager
The Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education Training Authority (merSETA) has dismissed its former senior manager of procurement Takalani Murathi for fraudulently obtaining a vehicle from the organisation.
Murathi appealed his dismissal after earlier being found guilty of fraudulently buying a merSETA vehicle in an auction that he oversaw, but the appeal was dismissed.
He was tasked with disposing of several merSETA vehicles which had reached their sell-by date. As head of the process, Murathi was excluded from bidding on the vehicles. “But he surreptitiously approached a colleague and requested that the colleague bid on his behalf,” merSETA said in a release.
Evidence was found that Murathi had altered the vehicle odometer to drop the car’s value. Cash was then provided to his colleague to buy the vehicle, after which Murathi took ownership a month later.
“What does stand out in the present matter is that the appellant went to great lengths to secure the vehicle and, thereafter, to embark upon an elaborate cover up,” said appeal chairperson advocate W J Hutchinson.
Murathi had 30 days to refer his dismissal to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.
His case followed that of a previous merSETA employee, Victor Kwenda, who was jailed last year for defrauding the organisation of R6.2-million.
In light of these two cases, merSETA management reiterated its zero-tolerance for fraudulent activities, while priding itself on good governance.
“The merSETA will not brook any attempts to defraud taxpayers. We will not allow any employee to abuse our systems. The money received from taxpayers must be used for the mandate of the merSETA, which is to ensure that skills in our country are consistently upgraded,” merSETA CEO Dr Raymond Patel noted.
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