SOCIALITE HELD FOR CONNING LAND SEEKERS E277K

MBABANE - Mbabane socialite Bhekumuzi Paul Mamba, popularly known as ‘Katso’, has been arrested for allegedly conning unsuspecting land seekers a sum of E277 050.

Notably, this is Mamba’s second arrest for an almost similar offence and he was out on bail. Mamba, who holds himself as an estate agent, was arrested within the Mbabane Magistrates Court premises on Friday, where he had gone for a remand hearing for the previous charges against him. He made his maiden court appearance at the Mbabane Magistrates Court before Magistrate Lenhle Zulu. He is facing three charges of theft by false pretences.

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It is alleged that Mamba lured the unsuspecting landseekers into paying for non-existent land, through an advertisement placed in the Times of Eswatini around October and December 2022.  In the first count, it is alleged that Mamba misrepresented to Thandeka Nokuthula Sacolo that he would sell her a two-bedroom house at Msunduza in Mbabane and a piece of land with a bedsitter at Mahwalala. It is said  as a result of his misrepresentation, Mamba obtained from Sacolo a sum of E125 900. The offence was allegedly committed around December 2022, according to the charge sheet.

In the second count, it is alleged that Mamba misrepresented through a Times of Eswatini advertisement to Ntombifuthi Lungile Shabangu that he was selling a two-room house at Msunduza and a piece of land with flats at Mahwalala Zone 4. It is said that Mamba obtained from Shabangu a sum of E57 918, as a result of the misrepresentation.Mamba is also accused of having misrepresented to Douglas Mbuso Sihlongonyane through the Times of Eswatini newspaper that he would sell to him a piece of land situated at Nkwalini Zone 2 and obtained from him a sum of E93 232.

The accused was charged for contravening Section 4(1) as read with sections 76 and 89 of the Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Act, 2011.
It is alleged that during the month of June 2023, at or near Mbabane, Mamba, acting individually in his capacity and being a person who knew or ought to reasonably have known that the money amounting to E277 050 obtained from the trio was or formed part of the crime of theft by false pretences.

Effect

It is alleged that Mamba was likely to have the effect of concealing, investing, managing, disguising and disposing of the amount as proceeds of crime, knowing or having reasonable grounds for believing the money to be proceeds of crime. The Crown applied that Mamba be remanded in custody until August 30, 2024, pending committal to the High Court. Mamba arrived in court escorted by plain-clothes police officers. His eyes were all over to ensure that he was not captured by cameras. Mamba, who was walking freely, rushed to a journalist and rebuked him for taking pictures of him.“Ugijimela nje kungishutha without my permission, usilima, utakuny…,” he said in vernacular, loosely translating to ‘you rush to take pictures without my permission. You fool’. It is said that the police had been looking for Mamba for some time, when they buttonholed him during his remand hearing on Friday.

Commotion

It has been gathered from eyewitnesses that there was commotion when the officers of the law pounced on Mamba, whom they saw walking down stairs to the underground courtroom.
“The police officers thought he was running away when they saw him walking down the stairs. Mbabane Police Station Desk Officer Akhona Dludlu had to intervene in order to calm down the situation, when Mamba was involved in the commotion with the police. He was then allowed to proceed to the courtroom under watch, before he was rearrested after his remand hearing,” said the eyewitness.

Mamba was previously released on bail with three others for an almost similar offence.In previous charges, Mamba and his co-accused are said to have obtained from unsuspecting land seekers money amounting to E436 900, after they purportedly misrepresented that they were agents selling plots around Mbabane.
According to the charge sheet, the desperate land seekers paid monies ranging from E4 500 to E120 000.

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