The former chief financial officer of the North West Development Corporation (NWDC), Kudakwashe Mpofu, has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for fraud, wholly suspended for five years, after admitting that he used a fraudulent permanent residence permit to secure his position.
Mpofu, a Zimbabwean national, was convicted in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Molopo, North West. The court found that the permit he submitted when applying for a role at the NWDC had never been issued by the Department of Home Affairs.
His conviction follows a Hawks investigation that led to his arrest in January. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mpofu applied for an asset manager position in March 2021, submitting the false permit as part of his documents. He was appointed on 1 May 2021 and later promoted to CFO on 1 June 2023. In total, he earned more than R3 million during his tenure.
NPA regional spokesperson Sivenathi Gunya confirmed that Mpofu pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud. During sentencing arguments, advocate Nkhetheni Mudau stressed that fraud remains widespread and damaging, particularly in public institutions. Mudau also highlighted that Mpofu did not reveal how he obtained the fraudulent permit or the full extent of any financial benefit.
Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari, welcomed the outcome, noting that cases like this reinforce the NPA’s commitment to tackling commercial crimes that erode public trust and institutional integrity.
