Woman who ran bogus nursing college arrested by Makado police
Salome Judith Ngwana was arrested on March 10 after detectives from the Makhado SAPS received information that she would be returning to South Africa from Nigeria, where she had been in hiding.
POLOKWANE – The Makhado police made a breakthrough last weekend when they arrested a 54-year-old woman who had been on the run since 2017.
The woman apparently ran bogus nursing colleges and fraudulently registered unsuspecting students from Thohoyandou, Morebeng, Waterval, Polokwane and other places in Gauteng under the pretext that they would acquire their diplomas in nursing.
According to a police statement, the victims were also assured of employment upon completion of their studies.
The suspect’s fraudulent dealings came to light when the colleges were eventually discovered not to be authentic.
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The students, who were determined to pursue careers in community nursing, were left bankrupt, spending months of studying and thousands of rands in fees, only to be told that their qualifications were not legitimate.
A full-scale investigation was launched by the South African Police Service, but the suspect allegedly fled the country.
Salome Judith Ngwana was arrested on March 10 after detectives from the Makhado SAPS received information that she would be returning to South Africa from Nigeria, where she had been in hiding, via the OR Tambo International Airport at midday.
One of the victims, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed that the college was presented in a very unprofessional and unethical manner.
“I was in a class of 40 young adults. I was always told that it is part of the module fee. I decided to contact the Health and Welfare Sector’s Education and Training Authority directly and was told that the college was not on their system. I then opened a case at the Chatsworth Police Station.
“We were all there to receive a proper qualification, but instead we were scammed. It is absolutely frustrating to know that there are people out there who scam innocent people trying to make a better life for themselves.
“I put so much of my time and energy into college. I virtually scraped up my entire savings to have a better future, only to realise that my hard work was in vain,” the woman said.
Provincial police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed this. “After the matter was reported to the police, it was revealed that the college was not registered with the Department of Higher Education,” he said.
The provincial police commissioner Lt Genl Thembi Hadebe, commended the members for arresting the suspect.
“We have always maintained that criminals can run, but never hide, hence our dedicated team of investigators have finally brought the suspect in, who embezzled millions of innocent students,” said Hadebe.
Ngwana appeared in the Louis Trichardt Magistrate’s Court on March 13 on charges of fraud and theft under false pretenses and appeared again this week.
