Hawks crack down on pensions scam

UGANDANS NABBED FOR FRAUD

THE Hawks are investigating a fraud syndicate believed to be run by foreign nationals who are believed to have conned many Eastern Cape residents out of their hardearned money.

The syndicate’s members allegedly told victims their ancestors will bless them and double their money if they invest with the scheme.

The Hawks said they were currently investigating seven cases involving foreign nationals.

Two week ago, they arrested a Ugandan woman who allegedly swindled an East London man out of R600 000 pension payout money. Haawa Nalwanga’s arrest came after another Ugandan national, Nitzar Mukasa, was sentenced to six years in jail for defrauding an East London man of R500 000. A third Ugandan national is on the run and is being sought in connection with fraud worth hundreds of thousands of rands.

Hawks spokeswoman Captain Anelisa Feni said Mukasa’s assets were sold by the state to recoup money he stole.

“Mukasa was arrested in June last year for crimes he committed in 2014. He was the traditional healer and the victim was a 50-year-old former female teacher whom he convinced to retire from work and take her pension, promising that her ancestors would multiply her money. The former teacher gave Mukasa a total of R550 000 of her pension money,” said Feni.

She said the Hawks had confiscated Mukasa’s white 2007 Range Rover which the state sold for R200 000. A Jeep Cherokee was also seized and is yet to be sold.

“The proceeds from the sale of the Range Rover were given to the victim.”

Nalwanga, 36, was arrested on May 13 and has been denied bail by the East London Magistrate’s Court.

“A relative of Nalwanga’s victim saw her in a shopping mall and immediately reported her to the police who then arrested her. After her arrest, a Mercedes-Benz sedan was repossessed from her,” said Feni.

Feni said in 2014 Nalwanga allegedly successfully convinced a 60-year-old man who was then working as an administrative clerk to resign and hand his pension money over to her so she could cleanse and multiply it.

Nalwanga is in custody and expected back in court on June 14 for a bail application.

Feni said a campaign by the Hawks to detain suspects who allegedly defrauded government employees of their pension money was yielding good results.

“The Hawks has established that this is the work of a syndicate... by people purporting to be traditional healers or sangomas.”

Many of the victims are teachers and nurses and families have been left destitute.