The Star reports that twenty-three desperate, unemployed people each paid over R10,000 for fraudulent Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) trainee jobs.  

A female SA Police Service officer, stationed at Protea Glen, and a male examiner from Aganang Local Municipality in Polokwane, have been arrested for the scam and were due to appear in the Protea Glen Magistrate’s on Monday.  A third suspect is being sought.  Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba said the two suspects took advantage of the 1,500 JMPD officers’ recruitment process and recruited an additional 23 bogus recruits who paid R10,200 each.  The R200 was for a fake medical certificate which was issued by the suspects.  New recruits undergo training for 18 months and the official training started in October last year.  Last week when the existing recruits reported for duty, they were joined by the 23 youths who had fallen victim to the scam.  Upon their arrival, they produced fake appointment certificates which stated their salaries and which team they would be working with.  A JMPD-marked vehicle had been used to transport the bogus recruits to the academy.  The city’s group forensic and investigation services department (GFIS) and a team from the SAPS was then called in to assist in questioning and taking down statements from the 23 scam victims.  The scammers were arrested over the weekend.

• Read this report by Anna Cox in full at The Star

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