The De Aar Regional Court recently sentenced a 34-year-old Northern Cape man for fraud after he scammed a 40-year-old of his pension.
THE DE AAR Regional Court recently sentenced 34-year-old Michael Ssebegala for fraud after he scammed a 40-year-old of his pension in April this year.
According to Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane, Ssebegala convinced the victim to invest money with him with promises of doubling the amount.
The victim subsequently handed over R365,000 to Ssebegala in De Aar.
After the victim’s repeated attempts to contact Ssebegala failed, he reported the matter to the De Aar police. Detective Sergeant Rienest Brand was assigned to the case and successfully traced and arrested Ssebegala in Noupoort.
Ssebegala appeared in court multiple times before entering a plea bargain agreement with the State on August 30. He was convicted and sentenced to eight years imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years.
Additionally, Ssebegala was ordered to pay R10,000 immediately to the victim, followed by monthly payments of R5,000, and to hand over a vehicle purchased with the stolen funds.
The Pixley ka Seme District police management commended Detective Sergeant Brand for his diligent work in apprehending Ssebegala and securing the conviction.
