A former PRASA senior employee has received an effective 15-year prison sentence for fraud after lying about his qualifications. Image: Times Live
(The Post News)- Daniel Mtimkulu (49), a former head of engineering at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), who was found guilty of fraud for fabricating his qualifications, has received an effective sentence of 15 years in prison.
Mtimkulu was convicted at the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sitting in Palm Ridge on January 31, 2022, and sentenced by the same court on Tuesday, September 3, 2024.He was arrested in July 2015 and charged with a total of nine counts of fraud, uttering, and forgery after he allegedly misrepresented his qualifications to PRASA.
Among other things, Mtimkulu claimed to have a Masters’ degree from the University of Witwatersrand and a Doctorate in Engineering Management from the Technische Universität München (TUM) in Germany.According to a media statement released by the South African Police Service (SAPS), Mtimkulu’s misrepresentation and fabrication of his CV had a negative impact on PRASA, which resulted in his annual salary being increased from R1.2 million as executive manager to R2.8 million as head of engineering service.
Moreover, the SAPS said the Hawks Serious Economic Offense Unit of the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation played a key role in ensuring Mtimkulu’s conviction.The Johannesburg High Court seized both Mtimkulu’s immovable and movable belongings, in accordance with the confiscation order under Section 18 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act and ordered him to pay PRASA R5.8 million in restitution for the criminal proceeds.
The SAPS further stated that on Tuesday, September 3, Mtimkulu was convicted to count one: 15 years imprisonment and counts four and eight: six years imprisonment served concurrently with 15 years.According to the SAPS, this is one of the concluded state capture cases, and the public may be guaranteed that the remaining state capture cases on the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) table will be resolved amicably.
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