Three suspects appeared in the Vrede Magistrate’s Court. This after defrauding pensioners in Memel in the Free State. The three suspects, Gugu Precious Magudulela (41), Lindiwe Gladys Thango (51) and Thabane Blessing Mbhele were arrested by Newcastle police on 3 March 2021.
They appeared in court on 12 March on charges of fraud. According to police spokesperson, Brigadier Motantsi Makhele, the group were targeting pensioners during pension payouts at various post offices. The suspects pretended to be SASSA officials or people selling traditional medicine (muthi) to pensioners.
“It is alleged that on 3 March 2021 during the pension pay-outs, the trio left Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal Province with a hired motor vehicle to Memel in Free State and went to a local post office but couldn’t find any pensioners. They then proceeded to Zamani Township where they engaged in a door-to-door campaign looking for their potential targets,” said Makhele.
In one incedent the trio targeted a 40-year-old pensioner whom they asked to provide them with her pension card and identity document to register her for food parcels. “Then they swapped her original card with another unknown card without her noticing and went to Memel town where they withdrew all the money in the card and shared among themselves,” said Makhele.
