East London: A 41-year-old suspect will appear before the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on 11 November 2024. The suspect was arrested by the Queenstown-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation of the Hawks at East London on 8 November 2024 for allegations of fraud.

According to South African Police Service, the suspect’s co-accused, Dylan Buzz Strydom, aged 27, was previously arrested by the Queenstown SCCI on 23 September 2024. Strydom appeared before the Mthatha Regional Court on 25 September 2024 and was released on R500 bail.

It is alleged that the complainant, a Tsomo Hotel owner, was approached by an individual claiming to be an employee of Yoco Technology (Pty) Ltd. The suspects reportedly sold three speed point machines to the complainant for R3500.

Further allegations suggest that after several months of using these machines, the complainant noticed that sales money was not being deposited into their business account, prompting them to file a fraud case with the Hawks.

Investiga
tions revealed that the bank account receiving the sales money belonged to the arrested suspect residing in East London. Additional investigations indicated that the suspect colluded with Strydom to defraud the complainant.

The fraudulent transactions, totaling R1.2 million, occurred between July and September 2023. These investigations ultimately led to the suspect’s arrest on 8 November 2024.

The suspect will be transported from East London to Mthatha to make his initial court appearance before the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on 11 November 2024.

Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya, the Provincial Head of the Hawks, commended the rapid response and effective use of expert investigation skills by the team.