Ex-Fifa referee and wife allegedly embezzled R13m in a funding scandal

THE Premier Soccer League General Manager and former Fifa referee, Aldrin Andile “Ace” Baldwin Ncobo, and his wife, Salomie Twaise Ncobo, briefly appeared in the Bellville Magistrate's Court, Cape Town yesterday.

- MANDILAKHE TSHWETE

They were charged with fraud and money laundering in connection with an Eastern Cape corporate social investment (CSI) programme.

The couple was arrested following an investigation by the Hawks into the alleged misappropriation of funds earmarked for school infrastructure development.

The charges stem from a PetroSA initiative intended to assist under-resourced schools, including Gangatha Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Nqadu Pre-Grade R School.

According to Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani, the accused allegedly submitted fraudulent proposals to PetroSA, falsely claiming that Gangatha JSS required infrastructure funding.

The proposals were supported by forged trust deeds and donor documents, creating the impression that the unregistered “Gangatha Projects” was a legitimate entity tasked with the school’s development.

“PetroSA, relying on these representations, paid R13 million into the Gangatha JSS project. However, the trust deed associated with the so-called King's Gangatha Building Trust was never registered, and the signatures were allegedly falsified,” Hani said.