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A former Thabamoopo Magistrate’s Court interpreter has been remanded in custody after she was arrested for soliciting bribes amounting to R250 000 from desperate job seekers in Limpopo.
Mahlako Charmaine Nchabeleng made a brief appearance in the same court she was formerly employed at on Thursday and is due to appear again for bail application on Friday next week.
The 39-year-old was reportedly employed at the Lebowakgomo court between 2019 and 2020 when she allegedly scammed unsuspecting victims of large amounts of money by promising them employment as casual workers.
“Mahlako allegedly instructed the victims to deposit a substantial amount of money into her personal account to speed up the process of employment,” police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Thakeng said in a statement.
“During the transactions, a total amount of R250 000 was deposited into her account, but the depositors were never employed, and they reported the matter to the Department of Justice,” he added.
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A fraud case was then opened at the local police in June 2023, and the matter was later transferred to the Limpopo Provincial Commercial Crime Unit for further investigations.
Thakeng said Nchabeleng was arrested in the Seshego policing area on Wednesday, 26 February, following intensive police investigations.
“The provincial commissioner of Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has complimented the sterling work executed by the police in apprehension of the female suspect who scammed many individuals their hard-earned money,” said Thakeng.
Meanwhile, another judicial employee was arrested on allegations of corruption for demanding money from a grieving complainant in order to speed up the process of receiving a letter of authority.
The 33-year-old Master of the High Court estate controller, Mokapi Peter More, had been the subject of an investigation by the Johannesburg based Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation team since 2023.
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“It was alleged that on 30 November 2023, the Forensic Audit Unit of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development received a complaint reporting that Mr More, an Estate Controller, demanded R800 from a grieving complainant to expedite the issuance of a Letter of Authority,” police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd Ramovha said in a statement.
“The matter was reported at the Johannesburg central police station for the Hawks’ attention. [The] investigation was conducted, and the docket referred to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which recently decided in favour of prosecuting Mr More.”
More was arrested and appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 26 February, where he was granted R1 500 bail.
He’s due to appear in court again on 20 March.
Ramovha said the provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Gauteng, Major General Ebrahim Kadwa, has warned and urged authority figures to stop using their roles for selfish ends to the detriment of society.
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