The Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court in the North West has sentenced a bogus lawyer to 20 years’ imprisonment after scamming unsuspecting victims over R1 million.

Kagiso Josias Selomane, 45, ran his scam between 2011 and 2015 where he masqueraded as a legal practitioner in courts across the North West and Johannesburg, Gauteng.

Sivenathi Gunya, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, said  Selomane misled victims into believing that he was a qualified lawyer who could represent them in divorce and labour matters and even pretended to be an executor of a major bank.

“His modus operandi was to demand upfront payments for legal services that he never provided. In some cases, he duped clients into sitting in empty courtrooms, claiming their cases had been postponed, while in reality, no proceedings had been scheduled.

“Over the four years, Selomane siphoned off more than R1 million from unsuspecting victims,” said Selomane.

Gunya said he was arrested mid-October in 2015 after his victims reported him to the police.

“Although he initially pleaded guilty to only four counts of fraud, State Advocate Rodger Mareume argued that his guilty plea was not genuine, pointing out that he showed no remorse and failed to repay the victims,” added Gunya.

During sentencing, Magistrate Samuel Mabogo emphasised that Selomane’s crimes were premeditated and carried out over several years. He also noted Selomane’s prior fraud convictions, which dated back to 2017.

Last week, a 54-year-old Prosecutor at the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court has been granted bail following serious allegations of corruption.

The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court released Thandwa Johanna Moseneke on R3,500 bail on Friday as she faces charges of corruption, alternatively defeating the ends of justice.

NPA regional spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana said the allegations against Moseneke stem from an incident which happened mid-July 2021, when a man was arrested for stealing medicine from his employer and was processed at the Wierdaburg Police Station.

Mahanjana said after being released bail, the man allegedly struck a deal with the investigating officer, offering R5, 000 to ensure the case against him did not proceed.

“The man reportedly paid the officer R2,000 in cash and later, on July 20, 2021, a further R3,000 via electronic transfer from his wife’s account. On the same day, the investigating officer allegedly handed R1,000 to Moseneke in exchange for not enrolling the case in court.”

Consequently, the case was declined for prosecution, and the accused didn’t appear in court.

Following an investigation, Moseneke handed herself at the Wierdaburg Police Station on September 11, 2025. 

“The court granted her bail with strict conditions, including not interfering with state witnesses, not travelling outside Gauteng without notifying the investigating officer, not committing any further offences, and not applying for a new passport,” added Mahanjana.

The case was postponed to December 8, 2025, for further investigation.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

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