A 44-year-old suspect was arrested on Friday, 27 March 2026, by members of the Pretoria Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team in connection with a fraud case involving approximately R1 million.
According to allegations, the suspect approached the victim in August 2023 and proposed a romantic relationship, claiming to work for a mining company. Approximately one week later, he provided the victim with a cellphone number and instructed her to contact a woman to arrange a meeting. When the victim questioned why he would not make the contact himself, the suspect stated that he only dealt with the woman’s father regarding mining business and that it was appropriate for a woman to contact another woman.
The victim contacted the woman, and a meeting was scheduled for 30 August 2023. During the meeting, attended by the victim, the suspect, and a white female, the suspect handed the woman an envelope containing black stones. The woman examined the stones and stated she would pay R26 million pending verification.
Later in the same meeting, an African male and female, both wearing mining coats, entered the room and took the stones for testing. They reportedly confirmed the stones were authentic but said they needed to reduce the heat before they could be sold. The suspect then asked the victim for a loan of R290,000, which she transferred to him.
The following day, the woman contacted the suspect in the victim’s presence and requested an additional R250,000 for a “Coltan” certificate. The suspect again asked the victim for the money. It is further alleged that the suspect continued to borrow money from the victim repeatedly, resulting in a total loss of R1 million.
In September 2023, the victim was informed by a friend of the suspect that her purported romantic partner was a scammer collaborating with the white female and others posing as mining company employees. A case docket was registered and transferred to the Hawks for further investigation, leading to the suspect’s arrest.
The suspect is scheduled to appear in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 30 March 2026.