AN administrative clerk at the Matric Academy of Excellence in Port Elizabeth made a brief appearance in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court yesterday, where she is facing charges of theft amounting to almost R80000.
It is alleged Beualinda Theron, a mother from Rowallan Park, stole the money from the school by making the accounts balance at the end of each month.
She is alleged to have pocketed close to R80000 between January last year and January this year.
Theron, 57, was summonsed by the elite Hawks unit to appear on charges of theft earlier this week.
Accompanied by her husband, she made a brief appearance in court yesterday morning.
The charge was explained and her case was postponed to October 22 for further investigation. She has not yet pleaded to the charge.
According to the charge sheet before court, Theron had been tasked with receiving school fees from pupils and then writing out receipts.
At the end of each month she would have to deposit the money into the Zwide school's bank account. Every transaction had to be documented. However, it is the state's case that Theron only wrote out certain receipts to make the accounts balance.
She apparently pocketed some of the cash and accordingly failed to deposit it into the school's bank account, the documents allege.
She got away with her alleged thefts for close to a year before the head of the academy, Mart Janse van Vuuren, who had hired Theron, became suspicious and reported the matter to the police. A police investigation followed.
The matter continues next month.
Advocate Wilhelm de Villiers is prosecuting.
