'Property scam': Former eThekwini councillor allegedly defrauded sister and brother-in-law

Former eThekwini councillor Ismail Cassimjee has been accused of defrauding his sister and brother-in-law out of R612,000 in a property scam. Cassimjee, 55, is facing charges of theft and fraud totaling R1.5 million, along with his co-accused, Thamothran Junior Raman, 61. The state alleges that Cassimjee and Raman ran a property sale scam, targeting various properties in Chatsworth, Greenwood Park, and Brighton Beach.

Both were arrested in February 2022 and have since been awaiting trial at Westville prison. Cassimjee, who was previously denied bail by the Chatsworth Magistrate's Court, is the director of Thaiybah Holdings, a property sales and rental company. The charges allege that, in December 2019, Cassimjee falsely claimed to Mohamed Abdool that a Nissan Almera purchased for R10,000 had a valid logbook, when he did not.

The state also claims that the pair defrauded Jerome Govender of R567,000 when attempting to sell him a property in Umhlatuzana, Cassimjee's sister and brother-in-law, Imam and Fathima Kader, of R612,000 in Malvern, and Essop Kajee of R1.1 million in Brighton Beach. Neither of the properties were for sale, nor did Cassimjee and Raman have the authority to sell them.

Cassimjee took the stand in court on Wednesday, stating he believed Raman had a contact at the Master's Office with knowledge of auctioned properties. Cassimjee claimed he only took R15,000 from each deal as a facilitator's fee. Raman's attorney is expected to cross-examine Cassimjee when the matter returns to court on October 30, along with prosecutor Surekha Marimuthu.