A convicted armed robber, William Ratau Moreke (50), who violated his parole condition barely days after he was released, is off to prison to serve another term. The Bothaville Regional Court sentenced him to five years’ direct imprisonment without an option of a fine for fraud on Monday, 5 February.
The latest case arose from Moreke impersonating a prosecutor to defraud an individual who had a pending extortion case.
WO Fikiswa Matoti, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said Moreke pleaded guilty to the charge of fraud. He was remanded in custody until his sentencing, after he was unsuccessful in obtaining bail.
“He was denied bail because he had violated his parole conditions,” said Matoti. She said Moreke was arrested on 1 March last year by members of the Welkom-based Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team, the anti-corruption and provincial organised crime team, acting after receiving reliable information.
“Moreke knew the contents of the case docket where the complainant was an accused. He used different cellphones to contact the complainant, demanding R100 000 to withdraw and dispose of the case. He then pretended to be an advocate, a well-known senior public prosecutor at the Welkom Magistrates’ court,” said Matoti. She said Moreke was caught in the act after a transaction of R5 000, which was part of a R100 000 gratification payment.
Matoti said further probing by the Hawks established that he was previously convicted and served a term of 15 years for armed robbery. “He was released on parole from the Rooigrond Prison on 28 February last year,” said Matoti.
Moreke was sentenced alongside three accomplices for armed robbery of an American Swiss jewellery store in Welkom in 2004. They are Mhlupheki Henry Mkwananzi, Mxilisi Joseph Mpondo, and Tsubasa Samuel Motsapi. They were found guilty of robbery with aggravating circumstances, and contravention of the Firearms Control Act.
