THE Chris Hani District Municipality has indicated that the actions of a man, believed to have been ‘selling’ municipal jobs in CHDM to members of the public, are under investigation.
In a statement, spokesman Thobeka Mqamelo said the suspect, believed to be operating in Cala, was luring victims by posing as a municipal employee offering jobs and asking for payment upfront.
“These allegations surfaced following visits to the municipal offices by members of the public demanding placement or their monies back from the ‘supposed employee’ promising them jobs. ”
Mqamelo said an internal investigation found that the fraudster was using the name of a former intern. The intern has since been cleared of any fraudulent activity.
“It was further established that the imposter tried recruiting other members of the community to organise job seekers. The fraudster is believed to charge up to R1 000 for non-existent municipal jobs. Through the assistance of whistleblowers, our internal investigator was able to track down the imposter, who unsuspectingly offered the investigator a job. The matter has since been referred to the South African Police Services for further investigation.”
Members of the public are warned not to fall victims of such scams and are requested to make use of the municipality’s fraud and corruption hotline on 0800 553 559.
