Victims of the Blue Key Properties housing scam in Bethlehem are being urged to come forward as Hawks investigates fraudulent sales and bogus property deals.
Are you a victim of housing fraud by Bethlehem, Free State-based real estate agency Blue Key Properties?
If so, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) is asking for your input.
Bethlehem Serious Corruption Investigation detectives are looking for victims of an alleged housing fraud by the company.
Victims of the Blue Key Properties housing scam are being urged to come forward
Hawks spokesperson Lt. Col. Zweli Mohobeleli said Blue Key Properties reportedly placed newspaper advertisements to attract potential homebuyers.
“After showing interest in purchasing, the victims were taken to houses in Bethlehem and Phuthaditjhaba to view them, after which they signed an offer to purchase and deposit money into the suspect’s bank accounts,” Mohobeleli said.
However, the victims did not receive house keys or reimbursement of their payments.
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According to the Hawks, the company sometimes sold the same house to multiple buyers. In other cases, it sold houses of deceased people or properties left behind by their owners.
Mohobeleli said these victims risk eviction because the executors and homeowners never received their money.
So far, 66 victims have reported.
More than sixty victims reported
One victim, named Bruce, complained about the company’s ethics on the online review platform HelloPeter.
In a complaint seen by The citizenBruce said he rented a house through Blue Key Properties.
He was preparing to move in when the company called him.
They told him the deal was off because the previous tenant wanted to extend the lease for another month.
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He said this was after I signed the contract, paid the deposit and paid the first month’s rent.
“Now I’m stuck in Bethlehem with a van full of dogs, furniture and a loaded rented trailer with nowhere to go,” Bruce wrote on May 31, 2021.
“It was very nicely suggested to me to go camping in a fenced camp for a month. In a tent with no facilities.”
The victim advised other customers to be wary of the company because “contracts and honor mean nothing to them.”
Two suspects were arrested in August
Mohobeleli confirmed that officers arrested Petrus Wilhemus Viljoen (57) and Kamolase Sammy Mofokeng (47) on August 30, 2025. They were arrested on a warrant.
The pair appeared before the Bethlehem Magistrate’s Court on charges of fraud. They were denied bail and the case was postponed until November 17, 2025.
“Anyone who may have fallen victim to this scam is urged to call Hawks Detective Dudu Mocware on 079 505 3288,” Mohobeleli said.
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Chulumanco Mahamba
www.citizen.co.za