A man is appearing in a Durban Magistrates' Court on Monday morning after allegedly impersonating the eThekwini mayor and trying to extort money from someone.
It's alleged the 28-year-old suspect hacked into the mayor's phone and targetted a woman, promising her a tender worth R500 000.
He told her she would need to pay R200 000 cash upfront, to secure the contract.
Police spokesperson Thembeka Mbele says the woman alerted the police after she received instructions to put the cash into a plastic bag and wait for further details at a taxi rank.
SAPS made their way to the pick-up point in Berea and intercepted the suspect after he received the cash, which was inside a bin.
Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda applauded the police and urged them to track down all those involved in the scam using his name.
