An employee of the Department of Civil and National Registration, Keikantseone Gaowelwe this week told the Extension II Magistrate’s Court that her office was notified of the birth of Khaya Bheki Mazibuko in April 2010, and that his birth certificate was issued six years later in 2016.
Mazibuko is a Zimbabwean national whose real name is Bheki Nkomazana who was born in 1981.
He, along with co-accused Onthusitse Seoke, Keothopile Aobakwe Keothopile and Levy Mosweu, is on trial for a total of eight counts that include fraudulently processing a Botswana birth certificate between 2010 and 2016.
Nkomazana and Jericho Morima allegedly paid P12,000.00 to Seoke, Keothopile and Mosweu, all employees of the Department of Civil and National Registration to fraudulently process the birth certificate ate using the names Khaya Bheki Mazibuko.
The birth certificate was then used to fraudulently obtain a Botswana National Identity Card for Nkomazana.
Nkomazana is accused of obtaining P3.5million from Leonisa Investments (PTY) Ltd claiming he was lawfully authorised to sell and dispose of property at Lot number 3032 in Extension 11, belonging to the late Solomon Rabatape Tlhapane.
He is also accused of obtaining by false pretenses, the sum of P450 000.00 from Tebogo Edwin Koketso by purporting to have sold a ploughing field at Ruele in Mochudi.
Another charge against Nkomazana is failure to arrange the burial of Solomon Tlhapane between September and November 2016 after he withheld his death from his immediate family members.
Nkomazana was employed as a gardener and caregiver for the aged Tlhapane who passed away in 2016 at a hospital in South Africa.
Gaowelwe who oversaw birth and death registrations said that her office was notified of Mazibuko’s birth in 2010.
She explained that the standard procedure requires birth registrations to be communicated to the office within 60 days of a new birth.
She said that they learned about the fraudulent birth registration sometime in 2016 when investigators found that Mazibuko’s registration did not carry relevant documents, and information to qualify him for the birth certificate.
According to Gaowelwe, the investigation pointed to Seoke as the individual who approved the certificate issuance despite the missing documents.
The birth certificate indicates that Nkomazana was born in Jackalas No.1 village in the Northeast District.
During cross-examination by defense attorney Kgosietsile Ngakaagae, Gaolwelwe conceded that some of the inconsistencies found in the application could be attributed to poor processes at the office.
Ngakaagae also said that Gaolwelwe had not brought any documents to affirm that the office had efficient systems to prevent and detect fraudulent activities across all stages of the registration process.
He said that Seoke was innocent, and was merely capturing what the system gave him, adding that the absence of the date of the last calibration of the machines used was a sign of inefficiencies at the office.
The case continues in October.
He’s not the only one, so what are you going to do about this issue as is getting out of hand?