Northern Cape police say a man, who scammed numerous people on the social media trading platform Facebook Marketplace, has been sentenced to an effective 15 years in prison.
36-year-old Michael Chikwani was convicted on multiple charges ranging from motor vehicle theft to the contravention of the Immigration Act.
26 cases were register against him across three provinces.
Police spokesperson, Thabo Litabe says, “Evidence presented in court revealed that the accused targeted unsuspecting victims who advertised vehicles for sale on the social media platform in the Northern Cape, Western Cape, and Free State provinces. After successfully arranging to view the vehicles, the accused would provide the sellers with falsified bank payment notifications, creating the impression that payment had been made. Believing that the funds had been received, the victims released their vehicles and registration documents to the accused, who would then disappear without making any payment. The accused subsequently sold the stolen vehicles to unsuspecting buyers in the Western Cape.”
#sapsNC [FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE SCAMMER SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT FOLLOWING METICULOUS INVESTIGATION] The District Commissioner of the Frances Baard District in the Northern Cape, Maj Gen Charlotte Makgari, welcomed the sentencing of 36yr-old Michael Chikwani, who was… pic.twitter.com/WnYLnk4cGZ
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) June 15, 2026
