I hope by now that you’re all well versed in sarcasm, and you’ll take the first part of that headline appropriately.

Here’s the scoop: Convicted fraudster and conman extraordinaire, Tsepang Morie, managed to hoodwink the entire Springbok rugby team and management by posing as the head of the team’s security detail ahead of their first match against Italy in Port Elizabeth. Once he had everyone convinced, he waited for them to fall asleep before walking off with the team medical kit back – a R65 000 haul. And he works for the SABC.

Scoop number two, he’s an old fashioned criminal, not a Special Assignment journo.

In addition to the Springbok caper, our man Tsepang was found guilty in May of attempting to defraud the Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom. Tsepang apparently specialises in looking tough, because he met Hanekom at the bustling East London Airport dressed as a police constable on Minister driving detail. Apparently Tsepang master plan involved driving the Minister back to his hotel room, and then robbing him.

We give that kind of tactic a special name around this parts: The Bludgeon. It’s simple, but effective.

Of course the SABC saw the same value in his tactics as we did – he’s still got his job.

Here’s a little spice from the Daily Dispatch:

In court documents, Morie admitted his actions were “careless” and “naughty”. He further stated: “I wanted to know how it would feel to be a part of the VIPs … what happens with the escorts.”

Magistrate Xoliswa Stuurman told Morie: ‘You were convicted on a similar crime in May. It took you three weeks to come up with this new scam. If I let you out on bail, you will just come up with an even bigger … better scheme.

‘How could you fool everybody? You must be brilliant.’

Holy crap, don’t say that kind of thing, Your Honour! Next thing you know the man will be a commissioning editor at the SABC. Fooling the public is the meat and ‘taters of working in that company.

[Source : Daily Dispatch; Legal Brief; Daily Dispatch ]