Criminals prey on job seeker

A young woman, Bongekile Hadebe (26) was robbed of her cell phones, purchases and cash after being lured in by a promise of a job at one of Ballito’s shopping centres last week.
Last Tuesday, Hadebe was walking towards the taxi rank from the Lifestyle centre when she was approached by a “well dressed gentleman who spoke very professionally” and told her was looking for people for positions that had just opened.
“He said he was looking for shop attendants and cashiers at the Ballito Bay Mall and they needed people urgently. Since I always carry my CV with me because I am job hunting, I thought he was my guardian angel and followed him to the mall,” said Hadebe.
According to Hadebe, before they reached their destination they were joined by a young man who seemed well acquainted with her “talent scout”. She said they chatted as she followed behind and as they approached the back entrance of the mall, they turned on her.
“They were not armed or forceful but I chose not to fight them because there was no one else in sight and I knew they could overpower me so I just gave them what they wanted and they left,” said Hadebe.
This Hambanathi resident said she broke into tears as soon as they left and it was a while before someone found her and took her to the security guards who phoned her mother and Umhlali SAPS.
“After my mother came to pick me up I just went home because the police had not arrived and I just wanted to leave Ballito,” said Hadebe, who is yet to open a case against her robbers.
She said some of her mother’s friends have told her others have also been victims of such scams and criminals took advantage of desperate young people looking for jobs.
“We urge people to be more vigilant and not follow strangers into secluded areas because they make themselves vulnerable to criminals,” said captain Percy Buthelezi of Umhlali SAPS.
He said such scams are more prevalent during the first three months of the year when many people and looking for jobs or wanting to change jobs.