How alleged fake UN representative pulled the wool over police officers’ eyes

Impersonator Nhlanhla Sizani (left) with Brigadier Sipho Duma at Orange Farm SAPS. (Photo: Supplied)

By Velani Ludidi

18 Jan 2024

Nhlanhla Sizani allegedly duped the police into believing he was a UN representative and had a police escort to visit polling stations in the 2021 elections.

Nhlanhla Sizani (24) actively participated in police activities and events as a youth ambassador for safety and security and took photos with management which he shared on social media. He spoke at police events about integrity and convinced the authorities he was one of their own.

During the 2021 local government elections, Sizani allegedly submitted a fraudulent letter with the United Nations (UN) logo to the police, requesting a SAPS escort to visit polling stations.

Sizani allegedly misrepresented himself as a UN ambassador or diplomat and the SAPS Diplomatic Police Unit escorted him to polling stations as an observer.

That was before his profile came under scrutiny.

His now-deleted LinkedIn profile stated that he was an “Ambassador of Police, Safety & Security” for the South African government.

A screenshot of impersonator, Nhlanhla Sizani's LinkedIn profile.

He appears to have also accessed police clothing, as he was seen with a senior officer wearing SAPS-branded clothing at a police station in Orange Farm.

Impersonator Nhlanhla Sizani (left) with Brigadier Sipho Duma at Orange Farm SAPS. (Photo: Supplied)

Sizani appeared in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 16 January, after being issued with a summons on 12 December 2023. He faces charges of fraud, forgery and uttering.

“Through investigation by the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State … the UN confirmed that Sizani was not an Ambassador/Diplomat (observer) and the request for [a police] escort was not [made] by them,” said Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale.

“SAPS suffered actual financial loss as a result of the misrepresentation. The case was postponed to 23 January 2024 for the accused to obtain legal representation.”

Mogale said the SAPS had incurred a financial loss of more than R10,000 for escorting Sizani.

Daily Maverick messaged Sizani on X, asking what his goal was. When he read the message, he deactivated his X account. He made his Instagram page private, but kept his TikTok account open.

On TikTok, he has videos of SAPS members taken during various activities, including operations, and senior management interviews.

There is also a video of him speaking at an SAPS awards ceremony. The video appeared online in October 2023, and Daily Maverick was unable to find out when and where the awards ceremony occurred.

@nhlanhlasizani #ServiceExcellence ♬ original sound - Nhlanhla Sizani

On X, Sizani posted about arrests and sometimes responded to complaints about the SAPS. He seemingly had access to police statements and gave timely responses to complaints.

One example was an incident this week in which a traffic officer accused the Douglasdale police of refusing to enter recovered stolen goods into the SAPS system. Sizani promised to follow up on the matter and later posted a statement from the police that explained why they had not entered the goods into the system.

SAPS responds to this viral video:

WATCH:#CrimeWatch pic.twitter.com/v7MOjhgFX3

— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) January 15, 2024

A police officer who has met Sizani on numerous occasions said officers believed he was part of the SAPS national media team as they saw him with senior officials.

“He operated around Gauteng and colleagues seemed to know who he was. Some of our colleagues have pictures with him because he was popular on social media.”

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said Sizani disguised himself as a UN ambassador, claiming to be a UN youth peace officer for safety and security.

“SAPS instituted an investigation into his identity and found that he was not what he claimed to be. SAPS has not appointed him to any position. He actively participated in police activities and events as a youth ambassador on safety and security and took photos with management that he would share on social media before his profile came under scrutiny,” said Mathe.

‘Highly believable personas’

Sizani’s case follows that of other bogus officials, including Matthew Bongani, who dispensed medical advice and directed followers to purchase the health products he marketed.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Dr Who? The fraudulent underbelly of social media exposed

Read more in Daily Maverick: ‘Unethical people taking advantage of vulnerable patients’ – health professionals warn against fake doctors

Social media expert Brent Janse van Vuuren said the rise of impersonators on social media platforms was a concerning trend, reflecting both the increasing sophistication of digital deception techniques and a general lack of awareness among social media users.

“Firstly, the ability of individuals to convincingly impersonate others … underscores the need for more robust verification processes on social media platforms. These platforms must continually evolve their verification and monitoring systems to detect and prevent such fraudulent activities.

“The dangers posed by such impersonators are substantial. In the case of someone posing as a doctor, for instance, the health advice dispensed can lead to serious, even life-threatening consequences.

“In addition to platform-level interventions, public education about digital literacy is vital. People need to be equipped with the skills to critically assess the credibility of online information and the authenticity of social media profiles.” DM

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‘Highly believable personas’