The Serious Commercial Crime Investigation of the Hawks in East London, National Prosecutions Authority, Movement Control and the South African Police Service at OR Tambo International Airport have struck a major blow against a decade-old “ancestral” scam that allegedly defrauded a victim of over R1.27-million.
William Matyuba (39) allegedly hoodwinked the complainant, a school teacher, that her ancestors were instructing her to resign from work and invest her pension payout, promising miraculous returns.
Following these instructions, the victim transferred large sums of her hard-earned money, which the accused allegedly misappropriated and disappeared with.
After years on the run, Matyuba’s luck finally ran out when he was nabbed on February 5 at OR Tambo International Airport, while trying to sneak back into the country. He was initially brought before the Kempton Park Court and later appeared in the Zwelitsha Court on Friday. His next court appearance for a bail application is scheduled for February26.
Hawks provincial head in Eastern Cape, Maj Gen Mboiki Obed Ngwenya welcomed the arrest, saying that it would serve as a deterrent to would-be fraudsters.
