Free State man arrested for posing as Metro police officer in bursary scam
Vuyani Gibson Mpasie has been posing as a Metro official.
Image: Hawks
A Free State man has appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on charges of corruption and extortion while masquerading as a Mangaung Metro official.
Vuyani Gibson Mpasie, 27, made a brief appearance and is alleged to have posed as a fake bursaries donor, for a fee.
The bursaries he claimed to influence were government bursaries.
Mpasie was arrested by members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as Hawks).
The provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, Lieutenant Colonel Zweli Mohobeleli, said the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation detectives received information about a man who introduced himself as an official of the Mangaung Metro on February 5.
“He was promising to facilitate the approval of bursary applications at a fee. This information was operationalised, culminating in the suspect's arrest on February 11, 2026,” Mohobeleli said.
The Hawks have urged the members of the public who may have fallen prey to this scam to come forward.
“We appeal to anyone who might have fallen victim to the scam to call Hawks detectives at 082 584 4043,” Mohobeleli said.
The provincial head of the Hawks, Major General Mokgadi Bokaba, has expressed her concerns at this particular crime and sternly warned that: “Government bursaries were not for sale”.
The suspect, Mpasie, is expected back in court on Monday, February 16, for a bail application.
IOL