Single women warned of bogus marriage scams

Source: Dispatch Live, 31/08/2016

Due to the rising number of women being unknowingly married to foreign
nationals, the department of home affairs in East London is inviting
single women to visit their offices to check their marital
status.


The call comes as the office is investigating a case of an elderly
woman who cannot claim her late daughter`s pension fund because she is
recorded as married to an unknown foreign national who the family and
department cannot trace.


Home Affairs spokesman Ngenisile Stuurman said: "We call all women in
our district to visit our office because you might think you are not
married but in actual fact your ID book was stolen and used to marry
you off without your knowledge, we`ve been dealing with lots of such
cases."


According to Stuurman, bogus marriages are the order of the day in
South Africa.


Stuurman said the prevalence of the matter has forced the department
to make new amendments to the Immigration Act regarding marriages
between South Africans and foreign nationals.


"Since 2014 we`ve made it difficult for foreign nationals to marry
South Africans after we discovered criminal elements in these
marriages – for instance some South African women would marry these
guys in exchange for money."


He said foreigners were interested in marrying South African women so
they could obtain permanent residence in South Africa.


An elderly East London woman is appealing for help to claim her late
daughter`s R400000 pension fund which was frozen in 2014 after
Nongemntu Beseti, 68, tried to claim the money.


It was found that her dead daughter was married to a foreign national
by the name of Mohammed Mahroof Talib Hussain born on March 1
1983.


But Beseti said her daughter Neliwe Dyosini was born on January 20
1970 and never married.


No one is able to trace the foreign national including home affairs
immigration officials. Beseti is being treated for depression
following the shocking news.


She supports her late daughter`s two children with a government old
age grant.


"I`m struggling to support the children. I tried all in my power to
get their mother`s funds so that I can support them and put them in
good schools."


The nationality of Talib Hussain is not mentioned in the marriage
certificate seen by the Dispatch.


According to the certificate issued by the King William`s Town office
of home affairs, the two were married on May 6 2003.


The civil marriage certificate was issued on August 11 2014. An
abridged death certificate shows Neliwe Esther Talib Hussain died of
natural causes at Heidelberg on August 8 2014.


"My daughter was never married; she never mentioned anything to me
about marriage and we`ve never heard of this Mohammed before.


Beseti said what pained her more than anything was the possibility
that Talib Hussain who was never in the picture from the beginning was
set to inherit her daughter`s money.


"I managed to put her through school with the hard earned income from
my domestic jobs and she qualified as a teacher, now someone we don`t
know might take everything my daughter worked hard for, said an
emotional Beseti," she said.


Stuurman said his office would visit the elderly woman to undertake
further investigation.


"We will conduct an investigation hoping that it will lead to the
[dissolution] of the marriage."


Stuurman said a manhunt for Talib Hussain would begin soon.


"After we`ve got him we will deport him to his country of origin," he
added.


Stuurman said a crime ring that involved unscrupulous individuals,
including pastors and home affairs officials, were behind the false
marriages.


Dyosini`s brother Ntsikelelo Bosman said they had run out of money
after paying different lawyers to help them claim the money.


"I`m thinking of writing to Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba
directly about this matter because no one can help us," said Bosman.
Gigaba`s spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete said of Beseti`s case: