Disbarred attorney ‘swindles unsuspecting clients out of R500,000’

The Hawks have swooped on a former lawyer and conveyancer, barred from the profession five years ago, after she allegedly swindled unsuspecting clients out of R500,000.

Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said Rugaya van der Schyff, 57, was arrested on fraud and theft charges on Thursday.

“She was struck off the roll of attorneys in 2017 after an interdict application in 2016 and was subsequently arrested on March 28 2019 for misappropriating almost R4.8m from a trust fund,” said Hani.  

“Van der Schyff was released on R20,000 bail. Additionally, she allegedly continued facilitating offers to purchase several properties from 2019 to date, knowing fully well her exclusion from her professional practice handed down by the Western Cape High Court.”

Hani said the new allegations “maintained the impression that she was an attorney and conveyancer entitled to practice as such”.

“The misappropriation was done in her professional capacity as an additional duty of care and diligence in dealing with the transfer of properties and the registrar of deeds,” said Hani.

Van der Schyff appeared in the Strand magistrate's court on Friday. The case was postponed to Thursday for a bail application.

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