According to Hawks in Mpumalanga only 27 suspects were arrested for now and more suspects are expected to be arrested soon. Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi says some of the suspects were not found in their residential address, he further requested them to avail themselves to the police. Nkosi says they have enough evidence and they were busy investigating this case for a long time since 2020.
This is in connection with the massive fraud, corruption and money-laundering scheme that allegedly siphoned more than R100 Million from the Mpumalanga Department of Education that happened in 2018.
In the early hours of Sunday,22 February 2026, The Hawks in Mpumalanga, supported by the DPCI Tactical Operations Management Section Response Team (TOMS) Tactical Response Team (TRT) and Public Order Policing (POP), executed a coordinated take-down across the province. The operation targeted 41 identified suspects, among them senior government officials and business people believed to have played key roles in the organised criminal network.
The suspects are alleged to have unlawfully benefited through inflated contracts and payments, sub-standard services, and in some instances, services that were never rendered, effectively robbing the people of Mpumalanga, particularly learners of critical resources.
All arrested suspects were expected to appear before the Nelspruit Magistrate Court today 23 February 2026.
