By Everson Luhanga
Doctor Sobetha, who was arrested at the Bethal Magistrate’s Court last year after apparently pretending to be a lawyer, is wanted by the Hawks, the elite police unit that investigates serious crime.
Sobetha was released on R5,000 bail on 23 May last year while the man he was “representing” in court was remanded in custody.
Sobetha was “representing” Mhlabuyaxega Mntungwa, 37, who was previously wanted in connection with the murder of Nkosinathi Emmanuel Ngcongo, 34, on 12 September 2019.
Scrolla.Africa’s investigations revealed that Sobetha allegedly attempted to fraudulently claim a funeral policy after the mysterious death of his twin brother, Teacher Professor Matshia, who died on 30 December 2022.
Matshia’s body was found at a cemetery in Winterveld, Tshwane, inside a burnt-out car.
The brothers each took the surname of a different parent.
Eleven days after his brother’s death, Sobetha called the insurance company allegedly pretending to be his brother to say he wanted to change the policy so that his brother, Doctor, would be the one to benefit to the tune of R55,000.
Sobetha’s attempt was stopped by the insurance company.
Investigations into Matshia’s death are still underway. No one has been arrested and the family is waiting to find out who killed him.
The trial in which Sobetha was charged with the illegal impersonation of a lawyer and fraud was set for 14 October last year, but he absconded. A warrant for his arrest was issued on 13 February this year.
Captain Dineo Sekgotodi, spokesperson for the Hawks in Mpumalanga, said the provincial head of the Hawks Major General Nicholas Gerber is asking members of the public to help with information regarding Sobetha’s whereabouts. All leads will be treated confidentially.
Anyone with information can contact the investigating officer, Thembinkosi Daniel Nkambule, on 082 303 9874.
At the time of Sobetha’s arrest, his family told Scrolla.Africa they were shocked to read that he had shown the police a matric certificate because he had dropped out of school in Grade 10.
The family had refused to believe rumours that Sobetha was appearing in different courts around Tembisa, Pretoria and Mpumalanga wearing a lawyer’s gown.
“We thought maybe he was just helping with odd jobs at the courts when we heard that he was seen there because we knew he was not educated,” a family member said.
- Read an exclusive two-part series in the links below about how Doctor Sobetha lived his life and how he was caught allegedly trying to defraud an insurance company over his twin brother’s death:
https://scrolla.africa/teacher-professor-Sobetha-lawyer-fraudster/
Pictured above: A warrant for the arrest of Doctor Sobetha was issued in February; police are asking anyone who knows his whereabouts to contact them.
Source: Supplied
