Finding the right job can be quite a process. A man was looking for work in all the wrong places after he walked into a police station to get a job despite being on a wanted criminal list.
Dubbed “South Africa’s dumbest criminal,” Thomas Ngcobo has been on the run for the last seven years. While that is an impressive feat, it’s how he was caught for his crimes that’s the problem.
In 2015, Ngcobo stole hardware products worth more than $1,200 while working as a delivery man. He reportedly diverted deliveries to other addresses without the owner’s consent or knowledge. As soon as his manager realized things weren’t adding up, Ngcobo hit the road.
He was added to the police’s wanted criminal list as soon as his former employer filed the paperwork for a complaint. Since then, Ngcobo has managed to avoid jail time until one little mistake cost him everything.
The 40-year-old man walked into the Mpumalanga police station to complain that he hadn’t received a reply to his job application. “The suspect was unexpectedly nabbed on Monday, August 15, 2022, after he visited the Bethal SAPS to make enquiries about his application for a police recruitment drive,” Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, Mpumalanga police spokesperson, said.
Ngcobo’s arrest has been promoted in the area as an example that justice will prevail in the end.
“We are working tirelessly day and night, sticking to our mandate of creating a safe environment for all citizens,” Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela said. “We cannot achieve that stage while other suspects are still roaming the streets and terrorizing communities. It is just a matter of time before we bring them to justice.”
Conveniently, the police didn’t mention that Ngcobo literally walked into the police station on his own.