---
title: "Labournet: Ex-CIO Ordered To Pay R2.9M in Damages"
description: "Labournet reports South Africa’s Labour Court ordered a former CIO to pay about R2.9m for CV fraud and undisclosed conflicts, excluding costs."
canonical_url: "https://liners.com/news/labournet-labour-court-cv-fraud-r2-9m-damages"
markdown_url: "https://liners.com/news/labournet-labour-court-cv-fraud-r2-9m-damages.md"
type: "article"
language: "en"
published_at: "2026-10-05T17:21:51.336Z"
updated_at: "2026-10-05T17:21:55.883Z"
---

# Labournet: Ex-CIO Ordered To Pay R2.9M in Damages

Labournet reports South Africa’s Labour Court ordered a former CIO to pay about R2.9m for CV fraud and undisclosed conflicts, excluding costs.

## Breadcrumbs

- [News](/news)
- [Labournet: Ex-CIO Ordered To Pay R2.9M in Damages](/news/labournet-labour-court-cv-fraud-r2-9m-damages)

## Content

## In Short
- A South African Labour Court ordered a former CIO to pay about R2.9 million in damages.
- The Court found the employer was hired under false employment-history claims and later suffered losses tied to conflicts of interest.
- The damages award was reported as excluding interest and legal costs.

## What Happened
[Labournet](/labournet) reported on a Labour Court decision that could change how employers think about CV fraud. The case involves a former Chief Information Officer, CIO, which is the senior executive responsible for an organisation’s technology and IT teams.

In *Victoria and Alfred Waterfront (Pty) Ltd and Another v Thotsejane* (C821/2017) [2026] ZALCCT 160, the Court found that Sibongiseni Thotsejane misrepresented key parts of her employment history during recruitment. The judgment describes multiple claims as untrue, including the circumstances of her exits from previous employers.

The Court also found she failed to disclose she was still employed elsewhere when she started the Waterfront role. It further found that an alleged competing job offer used to negotiate a higher pay package was not genuine.

Beyond the CV claims, the Court held that the former CIO caused the company to use two consultants while concealing pre-existing business relationships with them. The reported amounts included about R1.4 million and R464,000 paid to the consultants, plus roughly R1.03 million linked to remuneration.

The total damages order was about R2,897,242.46. Labournet reported the award as excluding interest and legal costs.

## Why It Matters
For African tech employers, especially those hiring senior engineering and IT leaders, the case is a reminder that dismissal is not the only risk for job applicants who lie. A civil claim, which is a lawsuit to recover money rather than a criminal prosecution, can follow if the employer can show it was tricked into hiring and suffered financial loss.

The decision also underlines a practical point for startups and enterprises. Strong hiring controls like reference checks, qualification verification, and conflict-of-interest disclosures can reduce exposure, particularly for roles with vendor influence and budget authority.

For employees, it raises the stakes on “CV inflation” and non-disclosure. Once a role is obtained through misrepresentation, any later procurement or vendor decisions can be scrutinised more harshly because the trust foundation is already damaged.

## Sources and products

- [Labournet](https://www.labournet.com/a-dishonest-cv-and-a-r2-9-million-damages-order)
- [Labournet](/labournet)

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