Athule Mbena’s father left his entire estate to her when he passed away last year, but had made his sister the executor.
“I have not had a relationship with my father’s family for more than 10 years, and my mother raised me as a single parent,” said Mbena. “The hostile attitude that my father’s family displayed after the funeral and [after] learning of the contents of the will forced me to seek legal advice.”
Not being financially able to approach an established law firm for assistance, Mbena was referred to an “attorney” at her local bank who could possibly help.
She was finally able to meet with the accused in June, when he demanded various personal documents, including the will, identity documents, and death certificate, from Mbena.
“After that, [the accused] started to display erratic and almost unsavoury behaviour, asking if I actually wanted the estate, name dropping, and cancelling appointments on a whim,” Mbena continued.
Months went by, and she was no closer to securing her inheritance than she was when her father had passed away.
After conducting her own investigation and receiving written confirmation from the Law Society, Mbena realised the accused was not a registered attorney as he had claimed.
She decided to report the matter to police, but was initially aggrieved by police members who sent her from station to station, before she able to lay a charge at Rosebank Police Station.
The docket was then transferred to Hillbrow Police station, where the commercial crimes unit took her accusations very seriously.
Detectives Lwandile Cikozani and Sabelo Mkhatshwa from the unit asked for Mbena to stage a meeting between herself and the accused on 20 November at a shopping mall in Killarney, where they pounced and arrested the alleged fraudster.
The accused, however, maintained his innocence, stating that he was acting only as a legal advisor, and that it was not necessary to arrest him because he ‘hadn’t taken any money from her’. He cooperated with detectives, and no force was necessary during the arrest.
Hillbrow police spokesperson Sergeant Mduduzi Zondo confirmed that the suspect appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court on charges of fraud on 23 November, and that he was released on bail for an undisclosed amount. He will appear in court again soon.
Details: 011 488 6511
