Hawks provincial head Major-General Nyameko Nogwanya, has issued a stern warning to a group allegedly planning to assassinate members of a team investigating a pension scam.
The Hawks have released a statement claiming a “group” was planning to “silence” key witness es and investigators of the scam.
Nogwanya warned there would be consequences to whoever was behind the planned attack.
His warning follows a recent breakthrough by the Serious Commercial Crimes unit of the Hawks into pension scams.
The scam involves bogus sangomas convincing public servants, mostly nurses and teachers, to resign from their jobs and hand their pension money to the “sangoma” who promises to “cleanse the money so it can multiply”.
Once the sangoma has the money, he or she disappears.
The unit this month arrested four suspects allegedly involved in the scam. Joshua Setimba Kyebakolo, 34, a foreign national, and Siphamandla Melaphi, 21, a South African national, face a charge of fraud after they allegedly scammed a 50-year-old former Queenstown teacher out of R1.1-million of her pension money in 2014.
Meanwhile, Jerald Mukasa, 44, and Suudi Nsubuga, 34, both foreign nationals, are accused of defrauding a 46-year-old Idutywa teacher out of just more than R800000 of her pension money in June.
Nogwanya said: “It has come to my attention that suspects allegedly involved in traditional scams who are mostly foreigners, are allegedly planning to attack the police, DPCI members in particular, as my members are dealing with this investigation.
“This kind of intimidation shall not deter any investigation as no form of threat shall be tolerated against my members.”
Nogwanya said they would also not tolerate any intimidation against witnesses.
“Anyone with such a motive must consider this warning in a serious light as there shall be consequences to whoever fails to adhere or respect the rule of law.” — malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
Hawks head warns scam group planning assassinations
The Hawks have released a statement claiming a “group” was planning to “silence” key witness es and investigators of the scam.
Nogwanya warned there would be consequences to whoever was behind the planned attack.
His warning follows a recent breakthrough by the Serious Commercial Crimes unit of the Hawks into pension scams.
The scam involves bogus sangomas convincing public servants, mostly nurses and teachers, to resign from their jobs and hand their pension money to the “sangoma” who promises to “cleanse the money so it can multiply”.
Once the sangoma has the money, he or she disappears.
The unit this month arrested four suspects allegedly involved in the scam. Joshua Setimba Kyebakolo, 34, a foreign national, and Siphamandla Melaphi, 21, a South African national, face a charge of fraud after they allegedly scammed a 50-year-old former Queenstown teacher out of R1.1-million of her pension money in 2014.
Meanwhile, Jerald Mukasa, 44, and Suudi Nsubuga, 34, both foreign nationals, are accused of defrauding a 46-year-old Idutywa teacher out of just more than R800000 of her pension money in June.
Nogwanya said: “It has come to my attention that suspects allegedly involved in traditional scams who are mostly foreigners, are allegedly planning to attack the police, DPCI members in particular, as my members are dealing with this investigation.
“This kind of intimidation shall not deter any investigation as no form of threat shall be tolerated against my members.”
Nogwanya said they would also not tolerate any intimidation against witnesses.
“Anyone with such a motive must consider this warning in a serious light as there shall be consequences to whoever fails to adhere or respect the rule of law.” — malibongwed@dispatch.co.za
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