Africa-Press – Eswatini. Police investigations have revealed how senior government officials, including principal secretaries, were tricked by the woman who allegedly committed fraudulent activities in Inkhosikati LaFogiyane’s name.
The senior government officials, who were reportedly deceived by the woman, who sometimes pretended to be the inkhosikati, are principal secretaries (PSs) in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Public Service, as well as the under secretary (US) in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Intense police investigations revealed what each of the senior government officials did for the accused, Thobile Motsa (39), after she allegedly tricked them using the name of the inkhosikati.
Motsa of Ndzingeni, who is facing three counts of fraud, is alleged to have, using the name of the inkhosikati, managed to secure herself a job as an assistant immigration officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs. She also acquired herself an international passport and a government house for her husband, who is also a civil servant based in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office.
Deceived
In all these, she is alleged to have deceived the senior government officials that she was a maid of Inkhosikati LaFogiyane and she would sometimes call them pretending to be the inkhosikati herself. Investigations by the police also revealed that Motsa allegedly began her escapades by sending a WhatsApp text message to Nompumelelo Dlamini, who is the US in the Ministry of Home Affairs. In the text message, Motsa introduced herself as a maid of the inkhosikati. The message was reportedly sent through her cellphone number, 7801 1737 and it was sent to her (US) official government cellphone number.
In the text message, Motsa is said to have stated that the inkhosikati wanted to speak to the US, but she did not respond at that time as she merely ignored the message. According to the investigator of the case, Detective Sergeant Sihlongonyane, on the following day, the US received a call from a private number and the caller pretended to be the inkhosikati. The caller requested the US to assist her (inkhosikati) cousin (Motsa’s husband) Sikhumbuzo Sukati, with getting a government house around Mbabane. The caller is said to have introduced Sukati as the inkhosikati’s cousin.
“The US informed the caller that she was not responsible for that and the relevant office would be that of the principal secretary under the Ministry of Public Service. The caller requested that she refer the case to Sipho Tsabedze, the PS in the Ministry of Public Service and she complied,” submitted the investigator. The investigations uncovered that the private number call that was received by the US was from Motsa’s number, 7801 1737.
Introduced
Sergeant Sihlongonyane narrated that on February 14, Motsa again sent a WhatsApp text to the US stating that the inkhosikati wanted to talk to her and, on that day she introduced herself as Tamati, who was a maid of the inkhosikati. In response, the US is said to have told her that she was away.
“Upon her return, she again received a call from a private number and the person pretended to be the inkhosikati and the caller informed her that an arrangement had been made with the PS in the Ministry of Public Service that her relative should be hired in the Ministry of Home Affairs and that the PS had informed her that the Ministry of Home Affairs should assist since they had openings for recruitment,” submitted the investigator.
As per the police investigations, the US is said to have then escalated the matter to the PS in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nhlanhla Nxumalo, and requested that they should address the issue at a higher level with the PS in the Ministry of Public Service. The US, as per the investigations, did all this because she was allegedly deceived by Motsa, who pretended to be the inkhosikati. It is alleged that Motsa would now and then request updates on the issues.
“The PS in the Ministry of Home Affairs also fell into this trap and instructed the US to prepare a recommendation to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for the recruitment of Motsa,” averred Sergeant Sihlongonyane. He highlighted that the CSC followed due process of recruitment and a letter of appointment was issued to Motsa.
Investigations
The investigator stated that as investigations intensified, he discovered that during the month of March 2024, the US received a call from someone who identified herself as Tamati. The caller is said to have informed the US that the inkhosikati wanted her relatives to be assisted with acquiring international passports and travel documents.
The caller is said to have informed the US that the trips would be funded by the inkhosikati and they overlooked the requirement for a bank statement.
“Acting on the misrepresentation, she then gave instructions to her subordinates to issue the international passport and travel document to Motsa without following the procedures,” submitted the investigator. The PS in the Ministry of Public Service, Tsabedze, is said to have confirmed that he got information from the US in the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the assistance that was requested by the person who pretended to be the inkhosikati or speaking on behalf of the inkhosikati.
Tsabedze, as per the investigator, is said to have also confirmed that he facilitated the process of swapping the government house for Motsa’s husband through the housing section under his ministry. It is alleged that he also facilitated the eventual employment of Motsa by the CSC. “The PS also confirmed that he used to receive calls from Motsa’s cellphone number 7801 1737 through his official government cellphone number and the caller pretended to be the inkhosikati and he believed her and gave her all the assistance,” said the investigator.
The law enforcer said all this was done through the deceit of the accused to the public officials. He said there was, therefore, sufficient evidence against Motsa and she would be convicted during trial. “Our investigations have revealed that the person who was calling the government officials pretending to be the inkhosikati or acting on behalf of the inkhosikati was actually Motsa,” contended Sergeant Sihlongonyane.
Source: times
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