A Malawian who came to South Africa “for a better life” is to be deported back to his country of birth after serving a jail sentence for illegally skimming credit cards at a restaurant he worked for.
Christopher Mbeye was jailed for a year, after pleading guilty to 10 counts of fraud, 11 violations of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act and one of the Immigration Act.
He appeared in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court, before Amrith Chabillal, who said Mbeye was in South Africa illegally, as he had failed to extend his temporary residence permit.
Mbeye had worked at the De Leuwen Jagt restaurant on the Seidelberg Wine Estate, where he had taken advantage of unsuspecting dining guests who had used their credit cards to pay for their meals.
Chabillal said it was common for foreigners to come to South Africa in search of work.
He also said Mbeye had abused his position as a waiter, by defrauding restaurant guests.
Chabillal said Mbeye had spent seven months in custody, awaiting trial, as recorded by legal aid defence attorney Haley Lawrence.
“The fact that you were in custody for so long is your own fault. You are in fact lucky that your case was placed on the court roll so soon.
“The diners who you defrauded had even given you tips, and you then took advantage of them.”
The magistrate said Mbeye should have protected his job, but had instead abused it.
He said police had confiscated a laptop belonging to Mbeye, and had found it loaded with a Mini 400 software programme that could read and retrieve stored information from a skimming device that Mbeye had used at the restaurant.
Chabillal said the laptop no longer belonged to Mbeye, and it had now been forfeited to the State.
He said prosecutor Denzil Combrink would inform the Department of Home Affairs about the case, and recommend that Mbeye be deported as soon as he had completed his sentence. - Sapa