Home » Phillip Masango Appears in Court Over Threats, Assault

Phillip Masango Appears in Court Over Threats, Assault

Accused faces cybercrime, assault, and threat charges

by Sophia Bennett

Phillip Sebole Masango, 28, made his second appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday, facing serious charges including two counts of assault and six cybercrime-related offenses. These charges stem from threats allegedly made against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.

Masango was arrested by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) on Friday, 23 May 2025. The Hawks’ Crime Against The State (CATS) unit, under the Serious Organised Crime Investigation division, led the operation following reports from a Cape Town-based CEO who had received a threatening voice message on 12 May 2025.

According to the charges under sections 14 and 15 of the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020, Masango is accused of intentionally using electronic communication to incite violence. He is also alleged to have sent multiple threatening messages to the complainant, her family, and Mayor Hill-Lewis.

Masango arrived at court without legal representation, stating he had attempted to secure a lawyer through FNB’s legal services but had not received a response. “Why is my attorney not showing up? Not sure why my attorney is not coming…” he told Magistrate Alida Theart. The magistrate explained that the court could only proceed once an attorney was on record and offered him the choice between legal aid or a private attorney.

Masango opted for legal aid, and attorney Mrs. A Semmery was appointed. During proceedings, State Prosecutor Mujaahid Sandan questioned the legitimacy of Masango’s listed residence, which had ties to the Church of Scientology in Cape Town.

The court confirmed that Masango has no previous convictions and no outstanding warrants. The hearing was postponed to 9 June 2025 to verify his residential address and check the status of his passport.

You may also like

Leave a Comment

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Privacy & Cookies Policy

Adblock Detected

Please support us by disabling your AdBlocker extension from your browsers for our website.