A 40-year-old man who allegedly masqueraded as a health department official and duped desperate jobseekers out of more than R500,000 has been arrested.

The suspect was apprehended on Tuesday night at Medupi power station in Lephalale, Limpopo, by the Mpumalanga Hawks’ serious corruption investigation unit.

According to Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Capt Dineo Sekgotodi, the man allegedly impersonated an official from the department and was “conducting a recruitment drive and reaching out to gatherings” in an attempt to find desperate young jobseekers.

“[He then] demanded money for enrolment [at a nursing training college] from prospective nursing trainees,” she told TimesLIVE.

“He also hired two females who could go around recruiting and promising people enrolment, which would guarantee employment at the department of health.”

According to Sekgotodi, more than 75 unemployed youth paid money into the trio’s accounts between 2016 and 2017. They allegedly managed to scam desperate job seekers out of R610,000.

The matter was reported to the Hawks in 2018 and an investigation revealed the suspects were not the employees of any government department.

His co-accused were arrested in May 2021 and appeared in the Bushbuckridge magistrate’s court. They were released on bail and are due to appear again on March 31.

It remains unclear how police tracked down the man, but Sekgotodi confirmed he will later be “joined with the co-accused”.

The man faces theft and corruption charges.

TimesLIVE