Man in court for impersonating Hawks chief and scamming R100,000

A 42-year-old man appeared in the Hatfield Magistrates court on charges of fraud and impersonating the national head of Hawks, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya.

Thabo Theletsane appeared on Monday after he was arrested on Saturday, May 10, 2025, by the National Serious Corruption Investigation of the Hawks in Petrus Steyn in the Free State.

Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Thandi Mbambo, said in October, Theletsane allegedly contacted a prominent businessman residing in Gauteng via WhatsApp, falsely claiming to be Lieutenant General Lebeya.

"Using a profile picture and personal details resembling those of Lieutenant General Lebeya, the accused deceived the victim. It is alleged that the accused claimed that the mobile phone of the victim had been hacked and, under the pretext of assisting with a security breach, requested the victim’s personal information," said Mbambo.

Mbambo added that the victim believed that he was in communication with Lieutenant General Lebeya and provided Theletsane with his personal details and contact information of close associates.

"The accused later solicited money, claiming to have successfully de-bugged the victim’s mobile devices. An amount of more than R100,000 was subsequently paid by the victim," said Mbambo.

Meanwhile, the case was postponed to Thursday, May 15, 2025, for formal bail application.

Theletsane was remanded in custody.

"The community is warned against making payments to police officers as they are not authorised to solicit money for services rendered," added Mbambo.

Cape Argus