A Mitchells Plain couple has been arrested on fraud charges after allegedly using more than R171,000 intended for underprivileged youth to fund personal travel.
The Hawks’ Crimes Against the State and National Priority Violent Crime units, assisted by Lentegeur Visible Policing officers, arrested the pair, aged 48 and 41, earlier this morning (Tuesday, 07 July 2026) after executing warrants of arrest.
According to Hawks spokesperson Siyabulela Vukubi, the suspects applied to the South African Zakah Fund between 2018 and 2020 for financial assistance to conduct Islamic studies and Qur’aan memorisation programmes for underprivileged youth.
“Both suspects were registered as directors of the South African Zakah Fund and subsequently received an amount of R171,350 in support of the underprivileged youth. The suspects allegedly used the funds for their travelling expenses instead.”
Zakah (or Zakat) is a compulsory form of charitable giving in Islam. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and requires eligible Muslims to donate a portion of their wealth, typically 2.5% of qualifying savings and assets each year to help those in need.
The accused are expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (08 July 2026) on fraud charges.
