Umalusi, the council that sets and monitors standards for education and training in SA, has identified Web sites that are selling fake matric certificates to the public.
In a statement, Umalusi notes the sites involved in this illegal activity are: http://fakematricandcertificate.co.za and http://www.registermatriccertificates.co.za.
Umalusi CEO Mafu Rakometsi warns the sites are engaging in criminal activity that is punishable by law.
"It is appalling that the people who manage these Web sites continue to do it with impunity. I want to assure South Africans that the law will be extremely harsh on those who are found guilty of producing fake matric certificates," says Ramoketsi.
The misrepresentation of qualifications causes potential damage to the image of Umalusi, the country's education system and by extension undermines government's efforts to eradicate corruption," he notes.
"All members of the public are urged to vigilantly report unscrupulous individuals and entities to the South African Police Service, or alternatively report them anonymously on Umalusi's national fraud hotline," he says.
Ramoketsi advises all public and private entities that want to ascertain the credentials of their employees to visit Umalusi's Web site and go to the verification page for the names of verification agencies that have contracts with the education council.
Various verification agencies can be used for the verification of qualifications issued by Umalusi.
"Please note that verification agencies charge varying fees for verification services. You are therefore advised to request prices from more than one agency before requesting the verification of your qualifications," he concludes.
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