Detectives hunting a female armed robber over a violent 2017 attack were stunned to discover the suspect had been living in plain sight as a well-known singer and social media personality.
South African Police Service (SAPS) officers in the Western Cape, a province in South Africa whose main city is Cape Town, confirmed they had been seeking for almost a decade the arrest of the woman identified on a warrant as Namatai Bhobho over a robbery with a firearm case registered in November 2017.
Police say the case went cold until they received information suggesting the accused was living in neighbouring Zimbabwe, and the docket has now finally been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) as authorities begin steps to trace her and pursue extradition.
What has caused fresh embarrassment, however, is that the suspect appears to have built a high-profile public career without anyone linking her to the warrant.
In court proceedings in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, she was identified in an unrelated matter as Millicent (Tsitsi) Chimonyo and described in reports as a performer who was granted bail.
The apparent identity clash has added to the intrigue: SAPS says the name on the South African warrant is Namatai Bhobho, while Zimbabwean media have reported the musician’s legal identity as Millicent Chimonyo.
Zimbabwean investigative journalist Maynard Manyowa said the story triggered disbelief when it first surfaced.
He said: “We couldn’t believe it when we first found out. We couldn’t believe it at all. Fugitives tend to hide. This one was in plain sight. Living as a celebrity.
“It’s phenomenal that someone can be wanted for a serious offence that carries as many as 20 years in jail but live out in the open.”
Western Cape SAPS spokesperson Captain F.C. Van Wyk confirmed the warrant.
He said: “The accused is wanted on a case of robbery with a firearm after a Warrant of Arrest was issued for her in Wynberg court.
“The case was removed from the court roll until she is traced and arrested.”
Van Wyk added that police had received information the accused is believed to be living in Zimbabwe.
He said: “The DPP’s office will make arrangements for the accused to be traced and then to be extradited back to South Africa.”
If a formal extradition request is lodged, Zimbabwean courts would ultimately decide whether she is sent back to South Africa to face the armed robbery charge, which could carry a sentence of up to 20 years if she is convicted.
A separate controversy has also resurfaced around the musician, after a video circulated online showing her allegedly admitting she stole nearly ZAR 5 million (GBP 230,000) when she was 13 years old.
In the footage, she claims she was not arrested at the time because of her age and later acted as a state witness in a different matter.
Authorities have not said whether the alleged admission is connected to the 2017 Western Cape case.
Retired Interpol ambassador and security strategist Andy Mashaile said he believes South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), under National Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Andy Mothibi, will now pursue the matter through formal international channels, including Interpol cooperation.
Mashaile said: “I am fully aware that there is an extradition agreement or treaty between South Africa and Zimbabwe, and therefore all stops must be pulled out until Millicent Tsitsi Chimonyo or Namatai Bhobho as she called herself in the Western Cape is brought to justice.”
