The police in Pinetown have arrested a 27-year-old man from Tshelimnyama area who is suspected to be behind the defrauding of a number of people in the Pinetown area by promising them employment in the municipal offices in Pinetown. Last month, Pinetown police received numerous complaints about WhatsApp messages they have received from a person who promised them employment in the municipality at a cost of R3000-00 per person. Police investigation revealed that the suspect first recruited a cashier from a chicken outlet in Pinetown and promised her what would be a rewarding job in the municipality. The suspect was communicating with the victim via WhatsApp and asked her to pay an amount of R3000-00. She then had to send the proof of payment to another man who was supposedly working at the municipal offices in Pinetown and was the one who was going to employ her. The victim only had R1500-00 at the time and managed to deposit that amount and sent the proof of payment.
A few days later, she was informed by the same suspect that there are two more openings and she can recruit two other people as long as they were going to pay. Indeed, the victim found two of her friends who were equally desperate for a job and they also paid R1500-00 each. The three victims were told by the suspect to go to Civic Centre to collect their uniform on 9 February 2018 as they were going to start working on 12 February 2018. With great joy and much anticipation, the three ladies went to the Civic Centre to meet with their would-be employer. They met the suspect in Pinetown where he took a bag belonging to one of the victims, in the bag there were three cellphones, an ID document, and resumes belonging to the three victims and other documents. He left them standing by the gate and told them to wait while he was going to process their documents and he never came back.
Instead, he solicited more money from the contacts of the victim through WhatsApp messaging on the victims’ phones. He was promising more people municipality employment. He was arrested today in the Ntuzuma Magistrates’ Court where he was appearing for another case which is not related to fraud. He is expected to appear in the Pinetown Magistrates’ Court tomorrow on charges of fraud and common robbery.
The KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bheki Langa applauded the members for arresting the suspect. “We would like to warn the members of the public not to pay for employment and to immediately report similar incidents to the police,” he said.