No bail for man accused of stealing identity of SA police minister's wife
Senzo Mchunu and his wife Thembeka Mchunu at President Jacob Zuma's 70th birthday celebrations at the Durban International Convention Centre on April 13, 2012 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images / Sunday Times / Jackie Clausen)
The illegal immigrant accused of stealing the identity of South African Police Minister Senzo Mchunu's wife, Thembeka Mchunu, has been denied bail.
On Thursday, the Empangeni Magistrate's Court denied 50-year-old Ndubuisi Okeke bail, ruling that releasing him would not serve the interests of justice, as he has a 'tendency to commit crimes involving dishonesty'.
The court denied Okeke bail because he is considered a flight risk and is in South Africa illegally.
Okeke allegedly stole Mchunu's identity, leaving her blacklisted
'This fact was conceded. The evidence of the investigating officer was not challenged or disputed by the team representing the accused; instead, there were a number of concessions made. It is my considered view that in the circumstances, bail should be refused, and bail is refused,' the judge said.
Okeke's case stems from member of parliament and former King Cetshwayo District Municipality mayor Mchunu discovering that she was a victim of identity theft.
The minister's wife has reportedly been blacklisted and is unable to make any credit transactions as a result.
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According to the Zululand Observer, she discovered the fraud after attempting to buy a car in 2023, when her application was declined due to her name being flagged as a bad payer.
Mchunu later discovered that her name, ID number, and banking details had been used illegally to purchase two cellphones from a company in Johannesburg in October 2022.
The breakthrough occurred last month following Okeke's arrest and subsequent remand in police custody.
Minister and wife both victims of identity theft scams
Mchunu's husband has also fallen victim to identity theft in the past. The police minister testified at the Johannesburg Commercial Crimes Court in 2023 that he became a victim of a scam after his SIM card was cloned.
He said he was bombarded with complaints that his cellphone number had been used to scam people in his contact list.
His contacts were called by two men who duped some of them into depositing cash into an account. One of the alleged conmen was a sentenced prisoner.
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