The Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ) is aware of an individual impersonating the
personal assistant (PA) to Chief Justice Mandisa Maya.
The OCJ said in a media statement issued on Friday that the impostor had used the WhatsApp messenger to contact a high-ranking government official in an effort to obtain the contact information or cellphone number(s) of a specific individual.
“The impersonator fraudulently uses the emblem of the OCJ on their profile picture and refers to themselves as Mr Raymond Manzini, the PA of the chief justice,” said the OCJ.
Impersonation is a criminal offence
“The cellphone number used by the impersonator is +27 73 266 9346. The public is hereby warned not to fall prey to these impersonators and needs to be aware that impersonation is a criminal offence.
“Members of the public and media are requested to contact the OCJ by email at
enquiries@judiciary.org.za, to verify the authenticity of any communication, directive, article, or social media post that purports to originate from the OCJ or the judiciary.”
Similarly, in March 2024, the OCJ warned the public about an individual impersonating Maya, who was deputy chief justice at the time.
At the time, the OCJ said that the imposter had been sending text messages to officials in the OCJ in an attempt to obtain the contact details of judges.
It further stated that the police had been notified of the situation.
In December 2023, retired former Constitutional Court judge Chris Jafta informed the OCJ that there was an individual impersonating him and contacting people using his name.
The OCJ said at the time that the motive behind the impersonation was not known.
Gwamanda distances himself from fake emails
Similarly, in February 2024, former City of Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda warned the public about scammers who used fake emails to ask for financial assistance using his name.
“The executive mayor of Johannesburg, Kabelo Gwamanda, would like to alert the public about the existence of fraudulent emails falsely claiming to originate from his office,” Gwamanda said in a statement at the time.
