A fake spy and an accomplice who claimed to be a Hawks officer tried to extort R300 000 from suspended MTN chief corporate services officer, Robert Madzonga, reports the Sunday Independent.
According to the newspaper, the two were arrested in Johannesburg after a sting operation by undercover police officers. They cannot be named until they appear in court.
The report says the two allegedly told Madzonga they were members of the Hawks and the National Intelligence Agency. Madzonga reported the matter to the police who told him to play along.
They supposedly promised to make Madzonga's troubles with MTN disappear and also claimed he was facing an investigation by the Hawks, which they would also end. To do this, they demanded R300 000, says the report.
MTN spokesperson, Xolisa Vapi, did not respond to the newspaper's enquiry, says the report. In a similar report by City Press, MTN allegedly responded to an enquiry saying it cannot comment on a matter that is before the police. "MTN's investigation into Madzonga will be concluded shortly.
MTN has not pressed charges against him," the telecoms giant reportedly told the newspaper.
Madzonga was recently suspended from MTN allowing a preliminary investigation into suspicious payments to certain law firms to be completed. An urgent Labour Court application to lift his suspension was dismissed with costs, but a separate defamation case continues. In a statement released by MTN the company said it opposed Madzonga's court bid, successfully arguing that his continued presence in the workplace could cause instability and jeopardise ongoing investigations against him.
The two suspects will appear in the Alexandra Magistrate's court tomorrow on charges of extortion, fraud and impersonating police officers, says the Sunday Independent.
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