Ex-KZN police spokesperson jailed for fake matric certificate gets parole

Former KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Vincent Mdunge, who was jailed over a fake matric certificate, has been granted parole, the Department of Correctional Services said on Wednesday.

“Mr Mdunge participated in relevant correctional programmes and was further assessed by our special services experts who, among others, include social workers and psychologists in order to determine his suitability for parole placement,” said department spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo.

“The parolee will complete the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections, and must comply with a specific set of conditions. He will also be subjected to supervision until the sentence expires.”

Mdunge’s parole was approved by the correctional supervision and parole boards with effect from August 20, which means he spent two of his five-year sentence in jail.

As a first-time offender, he was considered to have a “positive support system” and was placed on parole in line with Section 73 of the Correctional Services Act.

This law determines the minimum periods of sentence that must be served before consideration may be given to possible placement.

“Offenders placed on parole are supervised throughout their parole period,” Nxumalo said.

Mdunge will have to continue department programmes while on parole.

He was convicted in November 2014 of fraud and forgery for using a fake matric certificate to get his job, and to advance his career through studies at Unisa.

Mdunge was sentenced in May 2015 to five years in jail but after losing appeals in both the High Court and Supreme Court of Appeal he only went to jail in August 2017.