This woman claims a “cop” conned her out of R1000, making her believe it was bail money for her jailed son.
Zoleka Moni, 43, says her 21-year-old son was arrested on Sunday for assault after getting into a fight with another man.
She got a call from a “Harare SAPS detective” the next day, who “rushed” her into arranging bail money, claiming her son faced three months in the tjoekie if she didn’t pay.
“The fight was on Saturday, my son hit another boy with an empty beer bottle on the head,” she explains.
“The next day the police were here and asked him to report to Lingelethu West police station.
“Later that day he called me from the station to say he was getting arrested and was being taken to Harare’s holding cells.
“[On Monday] morning I made my way to court for his appearance but on my way there I received a call from a number I did not know.
“The man told me his name was Peter, an investigator at Harare. He asked me where I was and I told him I was headed to court.”
Zoleka says the person immediately told her to go back home, collect her ID book and R1 500 in cash as bail for her son.
“He said I should draw the money and deposit it at Spar using the number he called on and once he had it, he would drive my son home,” she says.
She deposited R1000, and they agreed the rest would be paid in today.
“He wouldn’t let me bring the receipt to court, he said it would take long and my son would go to Pollsmoor for three months,” she added.
Little did she know her son was already being freed.
Zoleka says: “Hours later I saw my son walking home and he was surprised when I told him he would have to repay me the bail money because he was just ‘released on a warning’.
“I felt numb at that point because I really hadn’t expected to be robbed by a person of the law.”
Police spokesperson Constable Noloyiso Rwexana confirms a case of fraud has been opened, but says the investigation would reveal whether the suspect was a cop.
“No one has been arrested as yet,” she adds.