Fraudster nailed
ALEXANDRA - An Alex con artist who scammed her burial society colleagues of more than R40 000 has been jailed.
Dudu Sithole (45), originally from 15th Avenue in Alexandra but who now lives in Bramley, was convicted of theft under false pretences at the Hillbrow Magistrates Court. She was fined R24 000 or 48 months imprisonment.
Sithole hid behind religion to cover her fraudulent lifestyle. She first gained the confidence of those she was targeting before pouncing.
Some of her victims include 40-year-old Monica and 48-year-old Penny (both preferred to be called by their first names only) who were scammed of R20 000 each in 2009 and 2012 respectively.
Penny said Sithole approached her after their usual burial society meeting in September 2012 and said she had a connection in one of the banks who could organise a bond for a house with a minimal deposit of R20 000.
As a single mother and desperate for home for her two children, Penny was hooked. She was asked to deposit the money into an account held by Sithole’s acquaintance, which she did.
A few months down the line, Penny contacted Sithole to find out what was happening to her bond and “a bold Sithole told me in the face that I would never get the bond nor the money as I was stupid and fell for her tricks”.
“When we met at the society, Sithole would brag on her cellphone to friends that there were people accusing her of being a fraudster, ‘… they think that I scam people for mere R20 000. I do bigger monies than those’,” Penny recalled.
Penny said this became Sithole’s form of torture. “When I finally laid a charge with the police, she would brag about being connected to the highest-ranking policemen in the land and that her case would fizzle out into nothing.”
It is said Sithole pretended to be a God-fearing person who always carried a Bible and would be found at her home watching religious programmes of Nigerian pastors.
Monica, as a businesswoman, was approached by Sithole to assist her in buying a van that she said she desperately needed for her business, saying she was connected to some auctioneers. She asked Monica to give her R20 000.
Penny has asked those who have allegedly been conned by Sithole to come forward so she can compile a list and ensure they are reported. “They may not get their money back but at least justice will be served in getting Sithole to do [more] time in jail,” Penny said.
Details: Penny 074 804 6347 or inn4kidz@gmail.com
