A 27-year-old alleged romance scammer and his 32-year-old accomplice are on Wednesday appearing in court after they were arrested in December for defrauding an unsuspecting Limpopo woman of her R650,000.
Yiga Siraje Lubega and his co-accused “prophetess” Rhoda Betsey Mirembe are appearing before the Polokwane Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, according to Limpopo regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi.
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 a 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, IOL understood that Lubega and Mirembe insisted to be from Uganda, in East Africa, but law enforcement agencies in South Africa were also investigating that assertion.
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, so she went to the bank and applied for a loan of R650,000, and she gave it 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