A parolee who impersonated a Hawks official and solicited R50,000 to “back up information” was denied bail in the Hatfield Magistrate’s Court this week. 

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said Thabo Theletsane, 41, faces charges of fraud and impersonating a police official.

Having furnished the court with a false address and his previous convictions, which also related to fraud, further hampered Theletsane’s application for bail. 

“It is alleged that on 25 October 2024, while out on parole after serving a sentence for fraud, Theletsane contacted a prominent businessman via WhatsApp using a profile picture of the former national head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya.

“During the call, he allegedly claimed his phone had been hacked and that the businessman would be contacted by ‘Mr Mokoena’ purportedly a police officer from the cybercrime unit.

“Posing as ‘Mr Mokoena’, Theletsane allegedly told the businessman that his phone had been hacked and offered to ‘clean’ it. He is accused of requesting the businessman’s frequently used contact numbers, which he then obtained.

“The accused allegedly asked the businessman to make a payment for a hard drive to store his information; however, this payment was not made,” said Mahanjana.

In a separate incident, Theletsane allegedly contacted another complainant using the numbers supplied by the businessman.

He allegedly told the second complainant that their phone had been hacked and requested a payment of R50,000 for a hard drive to store their information.

“The complainant paid the money. After realising they had been defrauded, both victims reported the matter to the police on 1 November 2024. Following an intensive investigation, Theletsane was arrested on 10 May 2025.

“In court, Theletsane requested bail, claiming he has seven children and another on the way to provide for. He further argued that the parole board indicated it would reconsider revoking his parole if he were granted bail,” said Mahanjana.

Prosecutor Dikeledi Moganyaka opposed the bail application and read into the record an affidavit by investigating officer Mpho Dlamini.

The affidavit stated that the accused had deliberately given a false address during the investigation and had two previous convictions for fraud and forgery from 2020, making him likely to reoffend if released.

“In delivering judgment, the magistrate agreed with the State that the accused has a propensity to commit crime since he is alleged to have committed the current offences just days after being released on parole.

“The court also found his claims about the parole board to be unsubstantiated and ruled that releasing him would not be in the interest of justice,” said Mahanjana. 

The matter was postponed to September 2, 2025, for transfer to Court 16 at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court. 

chevon.booysen@inl.co.za

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