Rita Odafe
Jabu Nxumalo, a South African woman, shared her heart-breaking story of how she was scammed by her Ugandan boyfriend, Joseph Ssekasi, whom she met on Tinder. Just four months after meeting, Ssekasi disappeared with R510,000 of her money.
Nxumalo had hoped to find a sincere and caring partner on the dating app, but instead, she found herself deceived by Ssekasi, who initially went by the name Deron Mundari and claimed to be from South Sudan.
Under false pretenses, Ssekasi convinced Nxumalo to hand over R500,000 for a dubious scheme involving ancestral voices and prayers. He also led her to believe that a house in Brakpan belonged to him when, in reality, it was a rented property.
As their relationship intensified, Nxumalo gave him R510,000, believing in their shared future. However, Ssekasi soon disappeared under the guise of a business trip and ceased communication with Nxumalo.
After some time without contact, Nxumalo visited Ssekasi’s supposed residence in Brakpan only to discover it vacant with a ‘house to let’ sign, realizing she had been scammed.
Subsequently, she reported the incident to the Boksburg police station and was later admitted to a psychiatric hospital due to the extreme emotional distress caused by the betrayal.
Despite the challenges, Nxumalo has chosen to raise awareness about romance scams in South Africa to prevent others from falling victim to similar schemes.
The police investigation remains ongoing, with a request for Ssekasi to contact the authorities if seen, as efforts to bring him to justice continue.
Nxumalo advises caution in relationships, urging women to watch for warning signs like excessive interest in personal details, quick declarations of love, and requests for large sums of money.
An image of Joseph Ssekasi can be seen below:
An image of Jabu Nxumalo with Joseph Ssekasi can be seen below:
