THE man who allegedly swindled members of the public over E1.4 million using ‘BakaNgwane’ name defrauded former senator Ndileka Dlamini over E22 000, it has been revealed.
This is contained in 40-year-old Mlandvo Wiseman Mngometulu’s charge sheet, which stated that he faces a total of 22 counts of theft by false pretences and violating the Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Prevention) Act.
Mngometulu is accused of defrauding 11 citizens, including the former senator, of money amounting to over E1.4 million by promising them nonexistent tender deals and lucrative positions.
| Former senator Ndileka Dlamini is among victims allegedly defrauded
in a E1.4 million scam involving fake tenders and misuse of royal names.
When luring his victims, he allegedly used the names of Their Majesties.
His modus operandi reportedly entailed contacting his selected victims through the phone and allegedly misrepresenting himself sometimes as umntfwanenkhosi (a member of the royal family).
He allegedly used various names including Umntfwanenkhosi Khitsika and Shiyabedla.
RELATED | Public swindled E1m using ‘BakaNgwane’ name
According to Mngometulu’s charge sheet, he allegedly scammed the former senator between December, 2024 and January this year, while at Malkerns.
Court records stated that Mngometulu contacted the former senator whom he reportedly informed that he had been assigned by the king to summon her.
The documents further stated that the accused person told Dlamini that there was a job opportunity that the king had selected for her, which was to head an orphanage.
However, during the course of their discussions about the purported job opportunity, Mngometulu allegedly further introduced other means of making money to his victim, and further requested some payments.
It is alleged that in all his dealings, the accused person requested some expensive alcoholic beverages he claimed were ‘tetfulo takaNgwane’.
“The accused person unlawfully and with intent to defraud and steal, misrepresented himself to one Ndileka Nomvuno Dlamini that he had been assigned by His Majesty King Mswati III to summon her about a job opportunity that will cater for orphans,” reads the charge sheet in part.
Through his misrepresentation, Mngometulu is alleged to have induced the former stateswoman a sum of E22 806.94, hence the theft by false pretence charge.
Also, Mngometulu was charged for breaching the Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011, for allegedly using money he had obtained through illegal means.
The accused person made his first court appearance before Magistrate Justice Mzizi at the Manzini Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where he was remanded in custody until January 20, 2026, pending setting of his trial date.
Gogo promised tender, scammed E318 000
In a different case, a 72-year-old woman was duped E318 000 after being lured under the pretext that she would get a tender to build residential flats at Phuzumoya in Siphofaneni.
The elderly woman Lokucala Khumalo of Siphofaneni is said to have been engaged by Mngometulu who allegedly offered her a tender to construct the staff residential flats at Phuzumoya where the Strategic Oil Reserve Facility was being built.
However, mid-way through their business engagements, it is alleged that Mngometulu ‘sold’ another idea of how the senior citizen could make even more money.
This, it is alleged, was through cleaning precious stones and selling them.
It is alleged that in July, the senior citizen was reportedly lured to go to the Gables Shopping Centre where the suspect allegedly demanded the money in exchange for the ‘precious stones’ which he had allegedly promised that after selling them, she would earn E1 million.
When the promise was not delivered, the elderly woman opened a case with the Lobamba police.
