LISTEN | Alleged property fraudster in bid to block publication

A Joburg woman who has allegedly been posing as a conveyancer has been accused of allegedly defrauding multiple people who believed they were legitimately buying property. Three victims have told Sowetan they were scammed out of their hard-earned cash and have not occupied the homes they had alreadypaid for. Sowetan has also learnt that Nomakhosazana Petunia Macingwane, the CEO and director of Petu Estate, is not a registered lawyer and has five complaints lodged against her with the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority.

Macingwane, whose offices are at Ghandi Square, Johannesburg, has also attempted to block Sowetan from publishing the story, sending a threatening WhatsApp claiming to have launched a court application through her lawyers, Ndlovu Attorneys. But before sending the notice, Macingwana and her lawyer contacted the journalist, threatening legal action should the story bepublished. In the letter, she states that she is taking one of the victims to court for allegedly making defamatory statements about her, including using abusive and disparaging language, making derogatory allegations, and issuing threats against her.

“The Sowetan is hereby formally notified of the pending urgent high court proceedings. Any publication or dissemination of the information relating to the applicant (including her name, image, or allegations) pending finalisation of the matter may amount to unlawful defamation and expose the second respondent to urgent interdictory relief and adverse cost orders,” read the letter. “You are accordingly called upon to desist from any publication pending the final determination of the court proceedings.”