Gauteng SAPS Rearrest Swindling 'Doctor' Kingsley Chele After Scamming Victims of R1.2M Via Facebook
- Gauteng SAPS have rearrested 'Doctor' Kingsley Chele, a Facebook con artist, over a R1.2 million swindling scam after he escaped custody the first time
- Chele targeted female victims on Facebook, claiming to be looking for investors for his non-existent projects
- South Africans have expressed growing concern about the rise of fake doctors and the need for improved medical governance
PAY ATTENTION: Let yourself be inspired by real people who go beyond the ordinary! Subscribe and watch our new shows on Briefly TV Life now!
JOHANNESBURG - South Africans are deeply concerned over the emergence of yet another bogus doctor, who swindled more than R1.2 million from his unsuspecting victims.
Source: Original
The Facebook con artist, who goes by the name 'Dr Kingsley Chele' or 'Dr KJ Ncube', is said to have targeted women and misrepresented himself as a doctor or pharmacist to his unsuspecting victims. He was able to swindle more than R1.2 million with multiple fraud cases being opened against him.
Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said the impostor was arrested by police on 2 October after two cases of fraud were opened in Sunnyside and Klipgat in June,. More cases have been opened against him since then. He said that Chele's bail application was denied when he appeared in the Pretoria Magistrates Court.
"The investigating officer of the case roped in the asset forfeiture unit to assist in attaching the accused's property, including a 2023 VW Golf GTI. On 11 October 2023, Chele managed to escape from lawful custody when the police were cataloging his household items at his residence," said Masondo.
Masondo said the impostor was rearrested by Gauteng police with a charge of escaping from lawful custody added to the charges he was already facing.
Mzansi worried about bogus doctors
Commenting on a post by SAPS on X, netizens expressed great worry over the abundance of fake doctors in South Africa.
Below are some of the comments:
@Sydfrey79 posed the question:
"Now this is scary, how many of these fake doctors are out there, mara. Are we safe?"
@LaDumezulu shared this heartbreaking comment:
"A friend of mine has been faced with events of wrong diagnoses and wrong medication. As a result, his liver problems have given birth to new health issues."
@mandla20 asked this question:
"How many of these bogus doctors are out there and what makes it easy for them to even practise without the required documentation and licences? Maybe the issue is with the system or governance around medical practice."
@sebate15 suggested:
"Start your manhunt in hospitals. You could be looking everywhere else, whereas the brother is performing miracles in theaters and delivering bundles of joy to unsuspecting mothers."
@MarumoMashigo commented:
"It started with Doctor Nandipha Magudumana, Doctor Matthew Lani, and now Doctor Kingsley Chele, who is next? People no longer respect this profession."
@nkeleakaDk remarked:
"At this point, I am convinced that there are no real doctors in SA."
A con artist on a mission
Masondo revealed that Chele is a Facebook con artist who operated by contacting health professionals on Facebook pretending to seek investors while swindling them of thousands of rands for non-existent projects.
The con artist had two aliases, Dr Kingsley Chele and Dr KJ Ncube. Chele's fingerprints have been sent to Interpol to determine his real identity and date of birth, as he had previously told police he is from Zimbabwe, reported SowetanLIVE.
'Doctor' Matthew Lani has no matric
Previously Briefly News reported on Matthew Lani, the bogus TikTok doctor who had thousands fooled that he was a doctor, even dishing out medical advice on his TikTok account. The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) revealed that Lani is not even in possession of a matric certificate, let alone a medical degree as he claimed.
GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona spilled the beans on Lani's education journey. Mabona said Lani started schooling in 2007 but had to be referred to a special needs school because he struggled academically.
PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ click on “Recommended for you” and enjoy!
Source: Briefly News
