Business people who were allegedly scammed by the controversial businessman and Faith Nketsi's husband Nzuzo Njilo, and his friends have broken their silence.  Mala Gwarube and Melfred Dube opened up to ZiMoja about how they were lured by Njilo's business partner into partnering with him in the trucking business. Gwarube (26) from East London in the Eastern Cape says she was scammed of her brand-new Renault horse and trailer truck in 2020.  

CLAIMING HER TRUCK 

Speaking to ZiMoja,  Gwarube said she has been at loggerheads with Njilo since 2020 after she entered a business contract with his friend and business partner Luntu Maxegwane. "I bought the truck with the aim of trying to make a living for myself as a young black woman. I signed a contract with Luntu of Maxbu Projects. The agreement was that I lease my truck to him, and his company and he will pay me R90 000 at the beginning of every month for 15 days on a R6000 rate per day.  Maxegwana has not paid me a single cent from June 2020 until now, it's almost been three years now,'Gwarube said. She added that a few weeks after signing the contract, and handing the truck over to Maxengwana, she saw Njilo posting it on his social media page with the caption "Another member added to the family." Gwarube said that this confused her and it forced her to fly to Johannesburg to sort it out.

TRYING TO GET HER TRUCK BACK

She said when she got to Joburg, Maxengwana would not give her the truck keys even after she told him she was no longer interested in doing business with him.  "I did not have a contract with Njilo and didn't understand how he had my truck and also posted it as his own. At that point, I was not sure what was going on. Luntu refused to give me my keys and I involved lawyers and sheriffs of the court.' she said. In January 2021, Gwarube received a call from a man named Phumlani, who said he was Njilo's little brother. She says Phumlani said she should come collect the truck as he didn't want problems. "He told me that he had the key as well but, in the meantime, he needed the truck documents so he could move it from "his yard' and book it into another storage," she said. 

POLICE INVOLVED 

Gwarule said that she agreed and emailed them the documents only to realise later that she was being scammed. "Eventually the sheriff gets back to me saying they've found the truck and I can come collect it. When I got there, I heard that my truck had been sold to another guy and that guy wouldn't let go of my truck unless he received his money back from Njilo and Luntu. Clearly Phumlani wanted the papers to sell my truck but fortunately for me, I could prove that the truck was rightfully mine so that was no issue,' she said. When she finally found her truck, Gwarule said it was in the worst condition ever. "Wires were cut off, batteries were stolen, it had dents all over and as if that was not enough, my truck was been stolen again and it is the Njilo brothers and their friends who did this," said. Gwarule said that Maxegwane had gone into hiding and distanced himself from the matter. The matter has since been reported to the police who impounded the truck that is now kept at the Benoni Police Station.  

ANOTHER VICTIM 

Another businessman, Melford Dube of the Dube Empire Group said that he invested R300 000 in 2020 into Njilo's company called Njilo Trucks. "I thought everything was legit. At first, he delivered what he had promised but I was shocked to learn that he had no trucks in his name, even though he showed me trucks. That was in 2020 and I have not received another cent from Njilo. I have accepted everything, God will deal with him accordingly," he said. Dube told ZiMoja that he knows that there are other people that Njilo scammed.  

BEHIND BARS 

Njilo handed himself over to the police on Monday after the Port Shepstone police said he and his co-accused Kwanda Ntshangase were on their wanted list for fraud. The duo allegedly duped a man into buying a truck that he never received after paying a large amount of money in Port Shepstone in KZN. Njilo appeared before the Port Shepstone Magistrate's Court on a charge of fraud. He was remanded in custody until 28 April 2023, where he will join his accomplice, Ntshangase, who handed himself over to the police on Thursday 20 April 2023, and appeared in the same court on Friday, 21 April 2023.