Trap leads to arrest and court appearance for fraud 

Rustenburg – Letsoa Edwin Ramapepe, a 43-year-old Lesotho national, face multiple charges including fraud, forgery, uttering, corruption, and violating the Immigration Act of 2002. The case was brought before the Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court on 28 March 2024.

Ramapepe’s legal battles began when he was initially arraigned on 20 March 2024, following his arrest on 18 March by the Provincial Commercial Crime Investigation Unit in collaboration with officials from the Department of Home Affairs. This arrest was the culmination of an operation sparked by intelligence reports about a Lesotho national attempting to navigate South Africa’s administrative frameworks with a fraudulent identity document.

According to lieutenant colonel Amanda Funani, Ramapepe was apprehended in a strategic operation in Marikana. “He was arrested during a meticulously planned trap operation. The evidence collected included a substantial cash sum of R19,800, intended as a bribe to Department of Home Affairs officials,” Funani said.