One of seven accused in R14m romance fraud granted bail

One member of a seven-person group accused of running a romance scam that allegedly extracted R14 million from an elderly woman has been released on bail as the matter returns to court.

Who is charged and next court date

The National Prosecuting Authority confirmed the case against Sikelelwa Nqunu, Asanda Dwesini, Nomphelo Fatman, Brazil Hendricks, Shan Lewis, Lavinia Oppel and Chibuzor Silver has been postponed to 4 August 2026 at the Muizenberg Magistrate’s Court.

Bail decision and conditions

On Wednesday, Nompumelelo Fatman was granted bail of R20,000 and was instructed to sign at the Lwandle police station. According to the NPA, Shan Lewis and Lavinia Oppel had been granted bail at an earlier appearance, while Brazil Hendricks and Asanda Dwesini had abandoned their right to apply for bail.

The legal representatives of Sikelelwa Nqunu and Chibuzor Silver withdrew on record and the matter was postponed for Legal Aid to come on record.

Allegations against the accused

The State alleges the suspects defrauded an elderly woman of about R14 million after she registered on a Christian dating site. The accused face charges of fraud and money laundering.

According to the NPA, the woman deposited R14,038,500 into various bank accounts between July 2017 and October 2022. The State says large withdrawals were made from those accounts, some funds were transferred to other accounts including one held by Chibuzor Silver, and some of the money was used for personal benefit.

How the scam is described by the State

“The State alleges that a widow registered herself on a Christian dating site. She received a response from a person who identified himself as Ael Alzondo, a white male who was born in Italy and was in the construction business. He communicated with her using different cellphone numbers. He then sent her fake photos indicating that it was him. After making her believe that he was a businessman, he then started to tell her about the problems he was encountering in his business. He claimed to have a construction project in Luanda facing issues, and he was flying to Luanda to fix it. He then fabricated stories about being captured by locals, his belongings being taken, and that he had to pay money to the chief for the work that he was doing there. He requested money from her with the promise that he would pay her once the project had been finalised. She believed him, and he directed her to pay money into bank accounts held by Sikelelwa Nqunu, Asanda Dwesini, Nompumelelo Fatman, Brazil Hendricks, Shan Lewis, Lavinia Oppel, and Cynthia Okkers.”

What the court appearance covered

The proceedings this week focused on bail, legal representation changes for two accused, and setting the next appearance at Muizenberg Magistrate’s Court on 4 August 2026.

Case status

The accused remain before the court on charges of fraud and money laundering. The matter has been postponed to allow Legal Aid to come on record and for the case to continue next month.