Bishopscourt 'hideout' raided by Hawks on trail of alleged conwoman

A woman who allegedly promised small business owners she had an inside track to get them government funding - for a fee - has been arrested in one of South Africa's poshest suburbs‚ police said on Friday.

Michayla Kogie Mentoor‚ 48‚ has appeared briefly in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court in Cape Town after being arrested for fraud by the Serious Commercial Crime Unit of the Hawks’ ATM task team on Thursday.

Captain Lloyd Ramovha said Mentoor "was nabbed from her hideout" in the early hours of the morning in the upmarket suburb of Bishops Court.

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"It is alleged that Mentoor masqueraded as a consultant from the Department of Trade and Industry and conned several small business owners in KwaZulu-Natal of over R2 million.

"She allegedly promised the unsuspecting victims that she would help fast-track their applications for funding to start or expand their entities‚ consequently she would then produce fraudulent approval letters purportedly from the Department of Trade and Industry and collect a fee for her efforts.

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"Further investigations have established that she has an outstanding 2013 warrant of arrest from Randburg Magistrate’s Court (in Johannesburg) for similar allegations with potential losses to the tune of over R60 million."

Mentoor remains in custody pending her next court appearance on Monday in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court. Her case may be transferred the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Durban.