A Ugandan healer will appear in the Nelspruit Magistrate's Court on Monday for allegedly trying to defraud one of his customers of several thousand rands, Mpumalanga police said.
He allegedly demanded R29 000 from a man who came to be cleansed, in exchange for a share of R900,000, Captain Leonard Hlathi said in a statement on Friday.
The healer apparently wanted the money to buy 13 cows, which needed to be sacrificed so he could open a metal box containing R900 000 he had in his surgery. When the victim delivered R29,000, the healer allegedly demanded R10 000 more, saying he needed more cows. He then approached the police, who arrested the Ugandan on Thursday.
"He was found to be in possession of a fraudulent Zimbabwean passport and fraudulent asylum permit."
Police also arrested a 35-year-old woman working at the Mozambican embassy in Nelspruit, and a 26-year-old man for allegedly issuing the fraudulent documents.
They would appear in court with the healer on Monday.
Police asked anyone who may have fallen prey to the scam to contact Lieutenant Colonel Sibongiseni Phoswa on 082-303-9872. - Sapa