SASSA fraud scandal: Ten accused appear in court for R250 million scam
The case has been postponed to April 1 for a formal bail application. It was also revealed that another accused is currently on the run.
Ten accused appeared in the Lenasia Magistrates Court on Tuesday, March 18, on charges of defrauding the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) of over R250 million.
Five of the accused – Siphesihle Dlamini (30), Phiwe Mkhuzangwe (37), Paul Bowes (49), Keanogetswe Ledwaba (49), and Phumelele Myeza (37) – were arrested on Friday, March 14, and made their first court appearance on Monday, March 17.
These arrests followed an earlier case involving four others: Shumani Khwerana, Nkhensani Maluleke, Tshilidzi Ramaphosa, and Abenezer Tilahyn, who were arrested on February 6, 2025.
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Police were called to a Soweto store, where Khwerana and Maluleke were allegedly caught withdrawing large sums of money using SASSA cards. Further investigations led to the arrest of the additional accused. Four accused were apprehended at SASSA’s Johannesburg offices, while the fifth voluntarily surrendered to the police.
SASSA spokesperson, Paseka Letsatsi confirmed that seven of the accused are SASSA employees, while the other three are not affiliated with the entity. The accused face over 1, 300 charges related to cybercrime, fraud, and theft, linked to an alleged SASSA card fraud syndicate that operated between August 2024 and March 2025.
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During their court appearance on Tuesday, the ten accused attempted to hide their faces with masks and hooded jackets, prompting Magistrate Maggie van der Merwe to instruct them to remove their disguises.
The case has been postponed to April 1 for a formal bail application. It was also revealed that another accused is currently on the run.
“We believe that the South African Police Service will apprehend them soon,” said Letsatsi.
