Pretoria - Soweto police have arrested a KwaZulu-Natal sangoma who is said to have conned people out of their money, promising millions in return and operating a cows-for-sale scam.
The 41-year-old woman from Eshowe spent Wednesday night behind bars after apparently stealing more than R100 000 in the past four months.
It is alleged she operated in three provinces, KZN, Gauteng and Limpopo.
Police say she collected money from her victims for cows, but failed to deliver. Spokesman Kay Makhubela said the woman told the buyers she owned a farm in KZN.
Her arrest came soon after her victims tipped off police about the scam. She was arrested at the home of one of her victims in Vlakfontein, south of Joburg, on Wednesday.
Police searched her and found SIM cards, muti, IDs and receipt payments for the livestock.
“Once she had been given money for the livestock, she would take the victims to KZN for collection. However, she would disappear before handing over the cattle to them.”
Police believed the scam had been operating since 2011.
Lungile Dlamini was conned out of R2 000. She said she hoped the woman would repay them now that she had been arrested.
Dlamini said she met the woman in June when she desperately needed help after her suspension at work. But Dlamini said instead of helping her, the sangoma promised to make her a millionaire if she paid R15 000. Dlamini did not have the money. So she paid the woman R2 000 although she was suspicious.
“She failed to repay my R2 000. She made excuses and said I would make more money if I gave her R15 000. She told me she was a traditional healer, helping people to be rich,” said Dlamini, adding that the woman used water instead of bones during consultations.
Dlamini said getting hold of the sangoma was a problem because she had numerous contact details.
Unlike Dlamini, a KwaMashu police constable left his work without giving his superiors any valid reason or handing in a resignation letter. He failed to return to work because he owed his colleague R40 000. The officer, who asked not to be named because he felt shameful, said he met the sangoma through a neighbour in April.
The man said she asked for R25 000 make to make him rich in just seven days. A colleague lent him R20 000 to give the woman.
But the sangoma demanded more. “She came up with stories every time she failed to deliver the R1 million. At some stage she asked for R7 000 and a white cow for a ritual that could please my ancestors to release the money,” the man said.
The officer said Wednesday’s arrest was not going to change the fact that he was deep in debt. He said he gave the woman more than R60 000. “My house is in arrears. I have failed to pay my bond.
“I don’t have money to pay school fees for my children. I can’t even afford food.”
Pretoria News