A 49-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with a fraudulent mining rights scheme that duped a Northern Cape businessman out of more than R1.3 million. The arrest, carried out by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit on 17 June 2025, follows a deepening probe into a long-running scam dating back to 2012.
According to investigators, the woman—then a co-director of Rowen Tree 60 Pty Ltd—illegally withdrew the company’s prospecting mining rights renewal application from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) while it was still under review. Despite this, in 2015, she and her fellow directors resolved to sell the company and the now-defunct mining right for R100,000.
However, before that initial deal was finalized, the suspect allegedly went behind her partners’ backs and struck a second deal with a new buyer. She is accused of deliberately concealing the earlier DMRE withdrawal and falsely presenting the mining right as active and valid. Believing the deal legitimate, the second buyer paid R1,368,000—only to later discover the mining right had no legal standing.
Shockingly, R100,000 of the swindled funds was allegedly funneled into a fellow director’s personal bank account, deepening suspicions of a coordinated scheme.
Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Nomthadaso Mnisi confirmed that the woman is due to appear in the Douglas Magistrates’ Court today, 19 June. As the investigation continues, authorities have hinted that more arrests could be imminent, suggesting a wider conspiracy behind the fraudulent transaction.
The case has sent ripples through the mining sector, spotlighting vulnerabilities in the licensing process and the high-stakes risks facing investors in the industry.
