Killer's father faces cash probe

AFTER his son was jailed for a racist murder that shocked the nation, the principal of one of the country's most prestigious schools faces a criminal investigation.

Dr Christo Becker, principal of the Hoërskool Waterkloof, in Pretoria, has resigned after being implicated in a R5-million misappropriation-of-funds scandal.

The school's governing body told The Times yesterday it was now preparing to lay criminal and civil charges against Becker snr and other former staff members.

Becker's son, Christoff, was one of the notorious Waterkloof Four who beat to death an unknown homeless man in Moreleta Park, Pretoria, in 2001. Christoff is serving a 12-year sentence, along with Frikkie du Preez, Reinach Tiedt and Gert van Schalkwyk.

The head of the school's governing body, Lukas Coetsee, said yesterday there had been a forensic audit of the school's finances.

"We have been suspicious that something was going on for the past two years. We received the report on Tuesday and confronted Dr Becker and others with [the] findings," said Coetsee.

He said Becker failed to respond to the accusations and instead verbally resigned. Deputy principal Andre Eloff has since resigned, and two administrative staff members have been put on special leave.

Coetsee did not want to reveal the auditors' findings but said they included the misuse of school fees, donations and sponsorships.

He said the funds went missing over the past four years. It is understood that the school rakes in almost R100000 a month from royalties on advertising signs on its sports grounds.

Last year, shortly after a failed appeal to the Constitutional Court for a re-trial for their son, Becker's wife, Mariette, told The Times that the family was struggling financially because of the legal fees.

When asked if the school suspected that some of the missing funds might have been used to pay Christoff's legal fees in his murder trial, Coetsee said that he did not want to speculate.

"But this is something that will come out when we go to trial. We will also launch a civil suit because we want the money back."

Becker has been principal at the school for 18 years and in 1996 won a prestigious business award as Pretoria's Marketer of the Year.

The school's governing body handed the report to the Gauteng department of education yesterday. The department will meet Becker and Eloff today to discuss the allegations.

Repeated attempts by The Times to reach Becker and Eloff were unsuccessful yesterday.