A DARKENED Amalinda house. A traditional herbalist named Prof Jameal. Voices of people identifying themselves as “the ancestors”. A telephone call from a man calling himself “Father of all fathers”.
These are some of the elements that convinced a Mdantsane teacher to part with R1.69-million of her retirement and personal funds in the misplaced belief her ancestors would reward her with up to R8-million in return.
Mseleni now paid an agent of “Father of all fathers” R180 000. She resigned from her teaching post in July 2012, cashing in her pension fund. On September 18 last year, she paid this agent R400 000 in cash and transferred R500 000 into a First National Bank account allegedly belonging to Ugandan national Gerald Mwanguzi.
Including subsequent payments, Mseleni forked out a total of R1 694 300. Her “gift” has never materialised. Ugandan national Rashid Shariff Magezi, 28, stands accused of fraud, alternatively theft, for his role in the crime, which the state maintains was part of the common purpose of the crime syndicate.
The state alleges the syndicate, including Magezi, exploited an unsuspecting Mseleni’s religious and cultural beliefs to commit the elaborate fraud.
Mseleni, a teacher with 20 years’ experience, told the court yesterday she first heard of “Prof Jameal” while attending a workplace function.
She had been offered R300 to test from a basket of money in “Prof Jameal’s” room which was claimed to be from the ancestors. Mseleni said she had been sworn to secrecy about the incident. —
Court hears of R8m gift from ‘spirits’ which never appeared
These are some of the elements that convinced a Mdantsane teacher to part with R1.69-million of her retirement and personal funds in the misplaced belief her ancestors would reward her with up to R8-million in return.
Mseleni now paid an agent of “Father of all fathers” R180 000. She resigned from her teaching post in July 2012, cashing in her pension fund. On September 18 last year, she paid this agent R400 000 in cash and transferred R500 000 into a First National Bank account allegedly belonging to Ugandan national Gerald Mwanguzi.
Including subsequent payments, Mseleni forked out a total of R1 694 300. Her “gift” has never materialised. Ugandan national Rashid Shariff Magezi, 28, stands accused of fraud, alternatively theft, for his role in the crime, which the state maintains was part of the common purpose of the crime syndicate.
The state alleges the syndicate, including Magezi, exploited an unsuspecting Mseleni’s religious and cultural beliefs to commit the elaborate fraud.
Mseleni, a teacher with 20 years’ experience, told the court yesterday she first heard of “Prof Jameal” while attending a workplace function.
She had been offered R300 to test from a basket of money in “Prof Jameal’s” room which was claimed to be from the ancestors. Mseleni said she had been sworn to secrecy about the incident. —
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