The Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court in the North West sentenced Kagiso Josias Selomane, 45, to 20 years in prison for running a scam that defrauded victims of more than R1 million. Between 2011 and 2015, Selomane pretended to be a qualified lawyer in courts across the North West and Johannesburg, Gauteng, misleading clients into believing he could represent them in divorce and labor cases.
According to Sivenathi Gunya, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, Selomane even claimed to be an executor for a major bank. He demanded upfront payments for legal services that he never provided and at times duped clients into waiting in empty courtrooms, falsely telling them their cases were postponed.
Selomane was arrested in mid-October 2015 following multiple victim reports. Despite initially pleading guilty to only four counts of fraud, prosecutors challenged the plea, highlighting his lack of remorse and failure to repay victims. Magistrate Samuel Mabogo emphasized the premeditated nature of the crimes, which spanned several years, and noted Selomane’s prior fraud convictions dating back to 2017.
In a separate case, Thandwa Johanna Moseneke, a 54-year-old prosecutor at the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court, was granted bail following allegations of corruption related to a 2021 bribery incident involving a stolen medicine case. Moseneke faces charges of corruption and defeating the ends of justice, with the investigation ongoing and court dates set for December 2025.
