The Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crime Court has remanded in custody two Ugandan nationals, accused of defrauding a Limpopo woman of R650,000.
Yiga Siranje Lubega, 27, and his co-accused “prophetess” Rhoda Betsey Mirembe, 32, appeared in court on Wednesday, facing multiple charges of fraud, theft, corruption and contravention of the Immigration Act.
Limpopo regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi told IOL that the matter was postponed to August 25 for pre-trial.
“The two Ugandan nationals, Yiga Siranje Lubega and Rhoda Betsey Mirembe have appeared in Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crimes Court for charges of fraud, theft, corruption and being illegal immigrants,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
“This follows an incident that took place between September and November 2023 in Polokwane, wherein the accused persons have allegedly taken money amounting to R650,000.”
Malabi-Dzhangi said the accused Siranje and Mirembe have appointed new legal representatives.
The accused duo was previously denied bail and have been in custody since their arrest last year.
IOL has extensively covered the duo’s arrest in 2023, after they allegedly scammed the 39-year-old Limpopo woman. The scammed woman’s identity is withheld to protect her. She lost the R650,000 after meeting Lubega, and getting into a romantic relationship with him.
At the time of the arrest in 2023, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations, also known as the Hawks, said during the month of September 2023, the 39-year-old Limpopo woman “randomly met” Lubega in Polokwane.
Lubega was driving a white Mercedes-Benz, and the Hawks said that after that September encounter, the love relationship blossomed between the 27-year-old Lubega and the 39-year-old woman.
“While enjoying the new love, the victim (the Limpopo woman) told the suspect (Lubega) about her personal problems, and the suspect promised to hook her up with the spiritual healer, a ‘prophetess’, who was going to cast away all her problems,” spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks), the late Lieutenant Colonel Matimba Maluleke, told IOL last year.
The 39-year-old woman alleged that she was introduced to the so-called prophetess, Mirembe, who told her she was going to assist in getting rid of the victim’s problems.
“According to the victim, she engaged in prayers with the suspect (Lubega) and the ‘prophetess’ for about a week,” said Maluleke.
“In one of the prayer sessions, the prophetess (Mirembe) came driving a BMW X6, carrying R4 million hard cash in a bag. The victim was told the money was hers, from her ancestors, but she had to pay 10 percent of the total amount in order to get it.”
As the 39-year-old Limpopo woman did not have money, she approached a bank and applied for a loan of R650,000, and she gave the money to the “prophetess”.
After a while, the woman tried to contact Lubega and Mirembe, but they were no longer reachable.
“While the victim was still confused, she allegedly received a call from a property rental agent in Polokwane, enquiring about the luxury house she rented at a place called Woodhill Estate in Polokwane,” said Maluleke.
The 39-year-old woman insisted that she had never rented such a place. She then discovered that her identity document and particulars were fraudulently used in the transaction, and she reported the matter to the Hawks.
“On November 27, members of the Hawks visited the address at Woodhill Estate and found two vehicles, the white Mercedes-Benz and the BMW X6, parked in the garage that was wide open,” said Maluleke.
“Unfortunately, nobody was found inside the house, but the vehicles were seized as they were previously used by the suspect and the accomplice when they met with the victim.”
On December 12, Maluleke said information was received that another Mercedes-Benz vehicle that was used by Lubega had been spotted in Potchefstroom, North West.
“Through proper coordination, the vehicle was followed, and the suspect, together with his accomplice, were arrested,” the Hawks said.
IOL has been running the scammed series, where numerous South African women have now joined hands, speaking out against the rampant romance scams. The women who are often breadwinners in their households, are often left destitute, with some women reportedly committing suicide after being scammed.
IOL