A 53-year-old woman accused of defrauding 17 couples through a wedding venue scam was apprehended yesterday morning.
Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) spokesperson Prem Balram said the suspect from KwaZulu-Natal allegedly solicited payments via EFT from couples for a venue in Botha’s Hill, KwaZulu-Natal.
“The venue was booked for multiple couples on the same day without the suspect owning the property. Families arrived at the premises on their wedding day to find it double-booked, lacking electricity and water, and in a dilapidated state. The suspect demanded payment before the venue could be viewed,” said Mr Balram.
He said the scam came to light after a couple from eThekwini reported being swindled out of R26 000 in December 2024. Following this report, RUSA circulated details of the incident, prompting 17 additional victims from across South Africa to come forward.
A detective from SAPS Boksburg North in Gauteng contacted RUSA, revealing that the suspect was also wanted for two fraud cases in Gauteng in 2024.
These included defrauding a car dealership of R200 000 and another couple of R26 000. Crime administration numbers (CAS) confirmed her involvement in these cases.
Mr Balram said in a planned operation, RUSA officers apprehended the woman yesterday after luring her for questioning.
“She claimed to be a criminal attorney disbarred by the Law Society after misappropriating funds from a client’s trust account. Further investigations revealed that she has a criminal record and a history of scams spanning over two decades,” added Mr Balram.
Detectives from SAPS Boksburg North are expected to travel to KwaZulu-Natal to escort the suspect to Gauteng for further investigation of the case.
![](https://yourethekwini.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/digital-mastead.png")
