NATIONAL NEWS - A former Home Affairs employee has been convicted of fraud by the Calvinia Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, following a series of offences linked to fraud.
Dawn Celeste Pieterson (45) was found guilty on all nine counts of fraud and two counts of contravening Section 31 (1) (d) of Birth and Death Registration Act 51 of 1992.
The offences were committed between February 2019 and September 2022 when Pieterson was employed at the Department of Home Affairs based in Calvinia.
As part of her duties, she had access to the national population register.
According to the South African Police Service, Pieterson fraudulently took out funeral cover policies from reputable insurance companies and nominated herself as a beneficiary.
“To benefit, she manipulated the national population register by falsely issuing BI-1663 forms (notice of death form) to reflect the fictitious death of the victims. The system registered the affected persons as deceased, resulting in a plethora of problems in the victims’ day to day lives,” the police said.
The case has been postponed to 26 January 2026 for sentencing.
Acting Provincial Head of the Hawks, Brigadier Prince Mashimbye, commended the great effort of the investigation and prosecution team for their work in securing the conviction. – SAnews.gov.za
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