Woman ordered to pay back R1.031 million salary after faking her CV

The former CIO of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront was forced to repay her R1.031 million salary after it was found that she had misrepresented her employment history.

She also has to pay two additional amounts, R1.402 million and R464,000, which were a result of her fraudulent conduct.

On 18 September 2026, the Labour Court ruled in favour of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (V&A) in their case against the former employee.

The company instituted a claim for delictual damages relating to a contract of employment against their former CIO.

It said that she was guilty of fraudulent misrepresentations, inducing the conclusion of the contract, and fraudulent misrepresentations made in the course of employment.

V&A alleged that she failed to perform her contractual duties while employed and fraudulently induced it to hire two IT consultants.

The former employee’s defence focused on jurisdictional and procedural objections rather than on the merits of the fraud and damages claims.

She argued that her dismissal permanently ended her employment relationship, making her inclusion in the lawsuit unconstitutional and unethical.

She described the case as badgering and forum shopping in an outrageous, ridiculous, misplaced civil claim.

She also alleged that the proceedings were tainted by unfairness, characterising the process as reflective of ‘white supremacy’ and ‘white privilege’.

The former employee also stated that she did not want to respond to the case or appear in court, claiming she had been forced to do so by her former legal team.

This response did not work out well for the former CIO, and the Labour Court ordered her to pay millions to the V&A.

This payment includes the R1.031 million she received as a salary, the R1,402 million and R464,000 consultant costs, and interest on the amounts.

She also has to pay the legal costs of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, including counsel fees, on an attorney’s own-client scale.