Whatshot
SA property conman uses Sexwale name to swindle Londoners
SA property conman uses Sexwale name to swindle Londoners
The fraudster, Hennie van Buuren, claimed to represent Sexwale through CAD Projects - ostensibly a Cape property development concern - and was able to show impressive documentation backing this claim, according to victims.
One victim, Chuma Ndwandwe (33), had not only invested himself, but had introduced five others to Van Buuren, all of whom had invested.
Victims of the fraudster have little hope of locating Van Buuren, who is currently untraceable, despite being a hitherto well-known property agent dealing with South Africans in the UK.
Sexwale's name - essentially a blue-chip reference in South African business circles - has proven irresistible to fraudsters before. In November last year, Onasis Maxam, known as the Post Office scammer, invoked the minister's name in court, where he was facing fraud charges to the tune of R2 million. Maxam claimed to be a good friend and employee of Sexwale's, as well as a prominent member of the Ekurhuleni ANC branch - all of which was flatly denied by the property tycoon. Maxam received a 23-year sentence for fraud in December.