A former Department of Home Affairs employee in Calvinia has been convicted on multiple counts of fraud and contraventions of the Birth and Death Registration Act after orchestrating a scheme that falsely declared people dead in order to cash in on funeral insurance.
The Calvinia Magistrate Court found 45 year old Dawn Celeste Pieterson guilty on all nine counts of fraud under sections 99, 103 and 224 of the Criminal Procedure Act of 1977, as well as two counts of contravening Section 31 (1) (d) of the Birth and Death Registration Act 51 of 1992.
Between February 2019 and September 2022, Pieterson abused her position at the Department of Home Affairs, where she had direct access to the national population register. Investigations revealed that she fraudulently completed BI-1663 forms, the official notice of death document, to create fictitious deaths of living individuals.
She then took out funeral covers from reputable insurance companies and nominated herself as the beneficiary, triggering payouts based on the fraudulent records.
The manipulation of the system had devastating consequences for victims, who suddenly found themselves officially listed as deceased. This left them struggling with serious disruptions in their daily lives, including access to essential services, employment, and banking.
The court has postponed the matter to 26 January 2026 for sentencing. Pieterson remains convicted on all charges and faces the possibility of a lengthy prison term.
The case has raised fresh concerns over the abuse of sensitive state systems and highlighted vulnerabilities in the national population register.
