Dylan Bettencourt
Springbok rugby icon Bryan Habana’s father was arrested for fraud on Monday on charges dating back five years.
Bernard Habana was held at the Linden police station in Johannesburg before appearing at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court. The case which local police have been investigating since 2017 was postponed and he was granted R1,000 bail.
As per News24, reports suggest that Bernard was caught after investigation found him to be impersonating a travel agent.
Police spokesperson Dimakatso Sello confirmed: “The suspect was arrested on May 30 and he appeared before the Randburg Magistrate’s Court.”
Another police officer indicated that several victims of the travel booking fraud would come forward as state witnesses in the trial, the officer told CityPress.
The case was first opened in April 2015.
A victim of Bernard’s travel booking fraud opened a case at the Linden police station after she paid an amount of R12,000 into an account belonging to him and his girlfriend, Mbali Mtetwa.
Habana’s father has had run-ins with the law in the past, in 2018 he was accused of swindling an Angolan businessman out of R1 million.
He was arrested in the same year for failing to pay his hotel bill in Johannesburg.
The relationship between Bryan Habana and his father took strain in 2010 as Bernard was fired from his role as Bryan’s manager after being found to be stealing from the player.
The former Springbok winger hung up his boots in April 2018 after making more than 100 caps for the senior side, including being in the Springbok side that won the World Cup in 2007.
Image source: @Citypress
