Touting herself as “generous with sharing tricks of the trade”, Mandisa Mthembu this week landed in hot water when she was arrested for allegedly trying to steal hard drives.
The tech wiz is now behind bars, awaiting her next court appearance, on February 15.
In one of her LinkedIn profiles, Mthembu describes herself as a “constant learner and early adapter”.
She says she is willing to share her knowledge and claims to have, between 2013 and 2018, volunteered at two Sebokeng schools, teaching children how to assemble and take apart computers.
Mthembu’s arrest at the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) offices came after CCTV cameras caught someone breaking open the emergency exit door of the building early on Monday morning, before several computers on the second floor were dismantled and their hard drives removed.
The city said it has a strong case against her, and believes she was responsible not only for Monday’s break-in but for at least three other robberies in the same building, and another at the offices of the Gauteng provincial government. In all five break-ins, hard drives were targeted.
The CoJ, however, retracted an earlier statement saying Mthembu had five businesses listed on its supplier data base.
A former business partner of the alleged “serial burglar” said her arrest was ironic.
“Mandisa Mthembu and I used to work together installing CCTV cameras, and hard drives were one of the important things we worked with,” said the woman, who asked not be named in order to protect her business.
“I decided to part ways with her because things just did not work out,” she said.
For Thokozani Simelane, who worked alongside Mthembu at AV Electronics, their business relationship went south after they were paired to instal and maintain CCTV cameras for a leading bank in Brakpan.
“Several years ago, a day after we had been working at the bank, there was a break-in at the offices,” said Simelane.
When she wasn’t selling hard drives to people, she was selling them to computer shops and [cash stores dealing in pre-owned goods]
— Thokozani Simelane
After the break-in, tools the pair had used were found inside the bank.
“I never realised my tools were missing until I was called into the bank the morning after the break-in.
“It was believed these tools were used by whoever had got into the building and stolen several things. The people who had broken in had tampered with the CCTV footage — which got lost. I got into trouble,” said Simelane.
He could not explain how his tools ended up on the scene and was questioned by police.
While the culprit was never found, Simelane was banned from working on the premises again.
Simelane said Mthembu’s sideline was selling hard drives.
“I would find hard drives under the car seats of our vehicle and some were brand new. She was known for having a side-hustle of selling hard drives — some used and others brand new.
“When she wasn’t selling hard drives to people, she was selling them to computer shops and [cash stores dealing in pre-owned goods].”
Meanwhile, an experienced Sebokeng technician who introduced Mthembu to her the trade said she was shocked to hear of the arrest. “I trained her in the job of installing CCTV footage and alarm systems. After some time, she and others I trained left and started their own companies,” said the woman, who also asked to not be named.
The city’s forensic unit spokesperson, Lucky Sindane, said two burglaries took place in October 2020 and Mthembu was apprehended during one of them.
The case was thrown out of court due to lack of evidence. The 38-year-old was again arrested in March 2021 after allegedly breaking into the Gauteng provincial government offices and stealing hard drives.
She was charged with theft and released on bail by the Johannesburg magistrate’s court — only to resurface at the CoJ offices this week.
Detailing her arrest, Sindane said security guards spotted a woman, dressed in black, forcing her way through an emergency exit door. They called for Johannesburg Metro Police Department back-up, and officers searching the premises found Mthembu hiding in one of the offices.
A bag of tools and some hard drives were also found. Mthembu apparently told police she had been sent by her mother to perform witchcraft in the building, but she was nonetheless arrested and charged with theft.
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