Case withdrawn against Cape politician Malusi Booi
Former Cape Town human settlements MMC Malusi Booi, who was arrested over a R1bn housing tender fraud case, is a free man after the case was withdrawn in court on Friday.
'I thank my 84-year-old mother, my ancestors, my partner, my entire family and friends for their unwavering support,' he said afterwards on X. 'I maintain my innocence.'
Booi, who said he is now a farmer in the Eastern Cape, was arrested in September and granted R250,000 bail.
In January, lawyers for the ex-DA councillor and his co-accused complained that delays in the investigation had prejudiced them.
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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'We are devastated by this tragic loss and we ask that you continue to keep her family in your friends began to get worried after two hours passed without Olorato sending them a location. They then activated 'Find My Location', and it led them to a house in Bramley. 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If we don't survive the love scam, we end up being killed,' Jabu told IOL. 'Looking back, I'm very grateful to still be alive, because those men could have done God knows what, without anyone knowing what happened to me or where I was. Not even my family knew where the scammer lived, because I wasn't as cautious as Olorato. 'It is very sad that Olorato was cautious and did everything right, but still lost her life. You could tell that she knew what kind of sick world we live in,' said Jabu. When Jabu met the scammer, she was innocently hoping to get an honest, loving boyfriend when she joined the dating app, Tinder. Soon, she had Ssekasi courting her. 'At the time, he called himself Deron Mundari, and claimed to be from South Sudan. Honestly, there was nothing amiss about the guy,' Nxumalo previously said in an interview with IOL. 'He seemed like a down to earth and a respectful person. Little did I know that he was in this relationship for a paycheck in the name of love.' IOL has for years reported on several cases of hardworking women, particularly those who are in steady jobs including civil servants, who got scammed of millions of rand by unscrupulous men, who target vulnerable women in the name of dating. In 2024, IOL reported that a Congolese man, Joseph Hassan Yaye appeared before the Makhado Magistrate's Court after a Limpopo-based woman, a member of the South African Police Service (SAPS) was scammed of her pension lump sum. Congolese national Joseph Hassan Yaye appeared the Makhado Magistrate's Court, after he was arrested for allegedly defrauding a police officer in Limpopo. Image: SAPS In Jabu's case, within four months of meeting Ssekasi, the man vanished with her R510,000. Part of the fraud involved a purported 'ancestor's voice' which instructed Nxumalo to approach different banks and raise R500,000 which she handed over to him at his place in Brakpan. This money, Nxumalo was told, was her contribution in a mysterious investment scheme which involved 'ancestors' and prayers. After the scam became clear, the emotionally wrecked Jabu was admitted in a psychiatric hospital as she had become suicidal. 'I had not slept for two nights,' she narrated. 'Just a day before I was discharged, I was called by a detective Khumalo from Boksburg police station who wanted us to meet the day after I leave the hospital. I then went with my brother to meet the detective,' Nxumalo said. 'While I was narrating my story, she stopped me and told me that as police, they can only arrest people they know their whereabouts, and that with cases of this nature, there is a low likelihood that a criminal can be sentenced,' she said. The bubbly Jabu Nxumalo has gathered the pieces of her life, joined hands with other victims, and calls for women to be vigilant at all times. Image: Supplied 'During our conversation, I showed her the picture of Ssekasi, the person who scammed me. Detective Khumalo did not event take the photo, and to-date she does not have a photo of my scammer, the person SAPS is hoping to catch one day. 'That engagement with the police detective actually depressed me more. I ended up asking detective Khumalo, if she was trying to tell me that there is nothing the police can do to help me,' said Jabu.
