THE police in Burgersfort arrested a 27-year-old man who was allegedly masquerading as a labour broker, and defrauding people by promising them jobs in the mines around Burgersfort.
Provincial police spokesperson, Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi, said the suspect allegedly collected R1 000 from each victim under the pretext that he was organising the services of a medical doctor who would examine them before they could go underground to work.
“He will appear before the Burgersfort magistrate’s court soon where he will be facing charges of fraud. Police investigations are ongoing and many victims are now surfacing,” Mulaudzi said.
In a separate, but similar case in the Bochum area, 31-year-old Wesley Gashane Kapa appeared briefly before the Bochum magistrate’s court last Tuesday and was remanded to custody until his next appearance, scheduled for later this week.
Mulaudzi said Kapa allegedly pretended to be a medical doctor employed by the national department of health to provide services, together with his “intervention team” at the Helen Franz Hospital.
“He also allegedly defrauded unsuspecting victims of cash ranging between R400 and R8 000 after he promised them jobs. The money was allegedly deposited into his bank account. Kapa, who allegedly called himself Dr Mashudu Netshidoni, is facing eleven charges of fraud,” Mulaudzi said.
Mulaudzi appealed to people to avoid depositing money into strangers’ bank accounts.
