Kgomotso Seema (25) appeared in the Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Monday, 06 February 2023, for tender-related fraud. The Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime investigation endeavors resulted in the arrest of Seema in Lebowakgomo, Limpopo on Friday. This was following a tracing operation for a fraud and money laundering case that was registered at Douglasdale police station in June 2018.
The complainant reported that around 26 April 2018, they were granted a tender bid to supply the Department of Energy with low-pressure cylinders. The tender was valued at around R456 000-00. The complainant reportedly sourced the items from a Cape Town-based company which sent an estimated bill. The complainant was asked to deposit the amount into a provided account before the delivery was made. Needless to say, the goods were never delivered. The Court has released Seema on warning to make a follow-up court appearance on 23 February 2023.
The Hawks investigation has thus far uncovered that this was made possible through Business Email Compromise (BEC). Previously, arrests were made in this case after links were established to be that of a syndicate operating between Gauteng and Limpopo provinces. In one of the previous tracing operations, two individuals were arrested including the Ugandan National, Richard Jjuuko who appears to be a recruiter of bank account holders in the scam. The modus operandi was to target recipients of tenders at National Government departments including Water & Sanitation. These were for various supplies including those sprinkle pumps and drill bits. The syndicate compromised the emails of suppliers for their benefit with an actual loss totaling just under a million rand in 2018 alone.
The group will ultimately be enjoined in subsequent court appearances. More arrests are expected as the investigation continues.