Overview

• Calvinia Magistrates’ Court on October 1 found Dawn Celeste Pieterson, 45, guilty on nine counts of fraud and two counts under the Births and Deaths Registration Act.
• Investigators said she abused access to the national population register from 2019 to 2022 by issuing false BI-1663 death notices, opening funeral policies, and naming herself as beneficiary.
• Victims were wrongly recorded as deceased on the system, which created significant day-to-day hardships for those affected.
• Sentencing was postponed to January 26, 2026, after a case developed through work by the Department of Home Affairs’ Counter Corruption unit and the Hawks.
• Minister Leon Schreiber said this is the ninth conviction secured with law enforcement collaboration and noted 37 officials have been dismissed since July 2024, with ETA and Digital ID reforms advanced to close loopholes.