"By the look of things, this guy is clearly broke. But I will sue him," says celebrity lawyer Zola Majavu, who is owed R120,000 by Mandla Lamba

SOUTH Africa's self-styled "youngest billionaire" Mandla Lamba has run up a trail of debts over the past two years.

Lamba, 25, was finally arrested on Tuesday for fraud, theft and culpable homicide.

Among the people Lamba owes are taxi owners, bodyguards and celebrity lawyer Zola Majavu.

"By the look of things, this guy is clearly broke. But if I'm given the chance, I will sue him. I have to find out what he has first or I will get away with nothing," Majavu told Sowetan yesterday.

Lamba owes Majavu R120,000 for services rendered to him in October last year when he and six others were wrongfully arrested for a robbery at NWJ Jewellers at Northgate shopping centre in Johannesburg.

"I haven't seen him (Lamba) since November last year. I don't know where he is but I still want my money. I can't just forget about it," Majavu said.

Majavu represented Lamba and the others, making sure that they were released and that their confiscated cellphones were given back to them. Majavu also lodged a lawsuit of R14 million against the Ministry of Police for wrongful arrest.

Lamba was arrested at Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Tuesday after a tip-off.

He was being sought for two counts of culpable homicide, 12 counts of fraud and theft.

He appeared in the Orlando magistrate's court yesterday on charges of fraud and theft. His case was postponed to next Wednesday.

He was remanded in custody.

Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said Lamba had been on the run from the police for more than two years.

Lamba was involved in a freak car accident in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, in 2007.

Wayne Greeff and his 8-year-old son, Brandon, were killed in the horrific crash.

He was charged with culpable homicide.

"He absconded while criminal proceedings for culpable homicide were in the process of being finalised in 2008. A warrant for his arrest was issued," Dlamini said.

He said Lamba also defrauded several taxi owners under the pretence that he would buy them vehicles.

"It is alleged that he approached several taxi owners and promised to help them to acquire new taxis, provided they deposited R40,000 in his account.

"After the money was deposited, the victims never got their vehicles. Lamba disappeared and the owners opened cases of fraud and theft in 2008," Dlamini said.

Dlamini said Lamba also absconded and another warrant was issued.

He also owes Incorporate Security Service (ISS), who provided him with bodyguards, R45,000.

Musa Khumalo of ISS told our sister newspaper Sunday Times last year: "Mandla owes us R45,000 for a month's work. Where is he, because we are looking for him? We started to work for him at the beginning of October, and when his scandals made headlines, he disappeared."

Lamba came under the spotlight last year when he claimed that he was a "mining billionaire".

Lamba claimed that he and his company, East American Resources (EAR), were worth "billions".

"A billionaire I am for sure," he said. "I like to live a good life."

He also claimed that business magnate and ANC heavyweight Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife, Dr Tshepo Motsepe, were his "mentors, counsellors and parental guiders".