Category: Crime & Corruption News

Optimum Coal Mine – formerly owned by the infamous Gupta brothers – has paid back some R6.9 million in outstanding motor licensing fees and penalties as part of its Acknowledgement of Debt (AoD) signed with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).

The AoD stems from an SIU investigation into allegations of corruption and maladministration in the affairs of the national and provincial Departments of Transport.

READ | Optimum Coal Mine acknowledges R6m vehicle licensing debt

“The SIU’s investigation focused on any conduct by officials or agents of the department or any other person which relates to the registration of motor vehicle ownership and licensing details and non-payments of motor vehicle licensing fees, arrears and penalties.

“The SIU analysed the information obtained from the Department of Transport and Road Traffic Management Centre, as well as the eNatis data. After sifting through the eNatis data, the SIU established that the Department is owed the sum of R6 914 304.52 in respect of the trucks and smaller vehicles owned by Optimum,” the SIU said in a statement.

The corruption-busting unit said the recovery of the funds from Optimum “does not exempt other legal processes from being actioned”.

“The SIU is empowered to institute civil action in the High Court or a Special Tribunal in its name, to correct any wrongdoing uncovered during its investigations caused by acts of corruption, fraud, or maladministration.

“In line with the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act 74 of 1996, the SIU refers any evidence pointing to criminal conduct to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for further action,” the SIU said.

Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola has transmitted a request by South Africa for the extradition of brothers Siyabonga and Malusi Ndimande from the Kingdom of Eswatini.

The two are wanted back in South Africa because of their alleged involvement in the murder of South African musician Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes.

Forbes was slain in a brazen attack outside a Durban restaurant in February last year.

“The request is made in terms of the Extradition Treaty between South Africa and Eswatini, dated 4 October 1968, and in terms of the SADC Protocol on Extradition dated 3 October 2002, to which both countries are signatories. The Ministry stands ready to give its highest level of co-operation to its counterparts in the Kingdom of Eswatini,” the department said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Department of Correctional Services (DSC) says it is investigating a case of assault filed by controversial doctor Nandipha Magudumana.

Magudumana is currently being held at the women’s section of the Bizzah Makhate Correctional Centre in Kroonstad in connection with the escape of convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester.

“DCS is investigating the circumstances following what was said to be a prayer meeting in a different cell from Magudamana’s. Reports of an alleged altercation and a push against the grills can be confirmed.

“DCS officials advised Magudumana to open a criminal case when she reported that she was allegedly assaulted, but she opted to discuss it with her lawyers first. Furthermore, DCS Healthcare officials conducted an examination on her and found no visible injuries.

“The safety and well-being of inmates is our utmost priority, and we take such allegations seriously. Hence, this incident is under investigation,” the DCS said.

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Multichoice Group have signed an anti-piracy memorandum of understanding (MOU).

The MoU will cover the following areas of collaboration:

• Policy development and regulatory frameworks;
• Capacity building and experience sharing;
• Intellectual property rights protection and anti-piracy partnership, and
• Monitoring and compliance.

The department’s Director-General, Advocate Doctor Mashabane, said: “[This] marks another milestone in the government’s efforts to fight broadcast and content piracy, which continue to drain the fiscus of billions of rands a year.

“Committing to signing this MOU shows our commitment to protect our creative industry so it can grow and attract investment – something that cannot happen without the Government’s intervention.”

MultiChoice South Africa CEO Mark Jury said: “As MultiChoice evolves from a traditional video entertainment business into a diversified platform business focused on technology, we are committed to promoting legitimate content consumption and supporting the creative industry.

“We look forward to strengthening partnerships with a number of stakeholders, including the department, to wage a coordinated war against piracy.”

The department explained that the MOU paves the way for enforcement and deterrence.

“This partnership will bolster enforcement actions against piracy, sending a strong deterrent message to perpetrators and significantly aiding in the revision of pertinent laws and the enhancement of training for judicial and enforcement agencies.

“The current legislative gaps means there is no incentive for hosting providers and other intermediaries, including financial, to work with legitimate role-players in the Audio-Visual (AV) content value chain or with the police to reduce piracy and block online pirate websites and the sharing of pirated content.

“Ideally such measures should form part of a broader policy and legislative response to deal with cybercrime, cyber piracy and cyberterrorism through blocking access to infringing domains/IP addresses, reducing harm through education of the public, disrupting payments and improving financial investigation and enforcement responses to these actions,” the department said.

Five people, including four foreign nationals and one South African national, have been found guilty of fraud and corruption by the Durban Magistrate’s Court.

Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said Tausi Majani Kahwere (25) and John Majani Kahwere (44), who are both Congolese, were convicted on Monday.

Other three accused, Morshed Alam (25), Saiful Islam Sujon (43), both Bangladeshi nationals and Oliver Whendle Hurriparsad (42), a South African national, were found guilty on Tuesday.

Mogale said the convictions follow a lengthy investigation by the National Serious Corruption Investigation, in collaboration with Department of Home Affairs’ Counter Corruption in KwaZulu-Natal, which resulted in a lengthy trial until all the accused pleaded guilty.

It is reported that during 2021, a Department of Home Affairs official, Judy Zuma, operating with a foreign national’s syndicate, colluded with South African citizens to assist foreign nationals from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Democratic Republic of Congo to obtain South African passports by using their identity documents and biometrics.

“The foreign nationals fraudulently replaced the owners’ photos with theirs and assumed the names of the South African citizens. The official, Judy Zuma, has since pleaded guilty and convicted on 1 159 counts of fraud, corruption, contravention of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002 and contravention of the Identification Act,” Mogale said.

Mogale said the foreign nationals were arrested between 2021 and 2023 as they were boarding flights to different destinations, and already gone through the airport processes.

The suspects were found guilty of all seven charges brought against them, including fraud; corruption: Contravention of Section 3, Act 12 f 2004; Contravention of Section 18 (1) (a) of the Identification Act, Act 68 of 1998; Contravention of Section 49 (7) of the Immigration Act, Act 13 of 2002; Corruption under Section 3, Act 12 of 2004; and Contravention of Section 18 (1) (a) (c) of Identification Act.

Mogale said the Congolese duo will be sentenced on Friday, while the trio will be sentenced on 21 May 2024, and Zuma will be sentenced on 05 April 2024.

Detectives in the Western Cape are currently questioning four individuals as part of an extensive investigation into the disappearance of six-year-old Joslin Smith from Diazville in Saldanha Bay.

The investigation saw a team of detectives visiting several places within the West Coast town and interviewing several other persons.

The search for Joslin brought individuals, NGOs, community activists, police officials, neighbourhood watches and representatives from different spheres of government together in the quest to find the missing girl. For days they searched identified vast areas in Saldanha Bay.

It is expected that as the investigation unfolds, light will be shed on her whereabouts or what happened to her.

“The four persons being interviewed by the team of investigators are two men and two women aged between 26 and 34. With the investigation gaining momentum arrests are on the cards,” said the police in a statement.

Early this week, the South African Police Service (SAPS) assured the community where Joslin went missing that they remain committed to finding the little girl and reuniting her with her family.

Police Minister General Bheki Cele on Saturday met with the family, as well as the residents of the broader Saldanha community.

READ | Police committed to finding Joslin Smith

Joslin has been missing since 19 February 2024 and the search to locate her is ongoing.

The South African Police Service’s Operation Shanela has nabbed 1 154 suspects for numerous crimes between Monday, 26 February and Sunday, 3 March 2024 in the North West province.

Of the total arrests made, 58 were drug related offences, 31 were for illegal dealing in liquor, 17 for driving under the influence of liquor, eight for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, 37 for burglaries, 53 for malicious damage to property, while 67 suspected undocumented persons were handed over to the Department of Home Affairs for further processing.

On Tuesday, 26 February, the Vryburg K9 and Mahikeng Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit (VCIU) stopped the driver of a Toyota Etios Sedan in Moffat Street.

The vehicle was inspected and it was found to have been stolen in April 2023 in Silverton. The driver, Makatise Joseph Khuabo (42), was immediately arrested and appeared before the Vryburg Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 29 February for being in possession of a presumed stolen vehicle.

He was remanded in custody until his next court appearance, which is today, for a formal bail application.

In another incident reported last Thursday, information received by Taung police was operationalised, leading them to a premises where a 32-year-old suspect was found in possession of an illegal firearm.

Lesedi Nthutang was arrested and appeared before the Taung Magistrates’ Court on Friday. He was granted R500 bail and his next court appearance before the same court will be on Friday.

Arrests were also made for serious and violent crimes including 10 for murder, 193 for assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH), 111 for assault common and nine for rape.

During the operation, 293 suspects were arrested, who were wanted for various charges. All suspects will make their respective court appearances in various courts this week.

Provincial Commissioner of North West, Lt Gen Sello Kwena, commended the police and all other role players for their continued collaborative efforts, saying it will send a clear message that crime will not be tolerated in the province.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has convened a Board of Inquiry with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) to investigate an incident which led to the deaths of two defence force members.

“The incident occurred when one of them [SANDF member] shot and killed the other with their service weapon before turning the weapon on themselves with fatal consequences,” said the SANDF of Thursday’s incident.

In a statement on Friday the defence force said it has convened a Board of Inquiry to work with the MONUSCO command to investigate the incident and the circumstances that led to it.

Meanwhile, Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise has expressed her shock at the incident that involved the two officials deployed to the central African country.

The remains of the officials will be repatriated to South Africa in due course and all families have been informed of the unfortunate incident.

Minister Modise, the Deputy Minister Thabang Makwetla, the acting Secretary for Defence, Dr Thobekile Gamede and the Chief of the SANDF, General Rudzani Maphwanya have expressed their condolences to the families of the deceased.

Last month, the SANDF repatriated and officially handed over the mortal remains of Captain Simon Mkhulu Bobe and Lance Corporal Irven Thabang Semono to their families.

Bobe and Semono were killed and three of their colleagues injured in the DRC after a mortar bomb landed inside one of the South African contingency military bases.

The soldiers were part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) deployed to support and assist government of the second-largest country in Africa to restore peace, security and stability.

Cabinet has commended the South African Police Service for their tireless work which has led to the arrest of seven people in connection with the murder of South African rapper, Kiernan Jarryd Forbes, known as AKA, and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane.

Forbes was gunned down in Durban’s Florida Road on 10 February 2023 as he was leaving the Wish restaurant. His friend, Motsoane was also murdered.

KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, announced the arrest of the six suspects during a media briefing held at the SA Police Service provincial headquarters in Durban.

A seventh suspect was arrested on Wednesday morning.

At the briefing, which was also attended by Police Minister Bheki Cele and National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, Mkhwanazi said Forbes was the main target of the shooting, and not Motsoane, who was “at the wrong place at the wrong time”.

The suspects were arrested on Tuesday evening and are facing charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, among others.

The suspects arrested included a coordinator, shooters, spotter and person who hired the vehicle and firearms.

“The arrests are as result of months of painstaking police work,” Minister in The Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said during a media briefing on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, five suspects made a brief appearance at Durban Magistrates Court on Thursday morning.

The case was postponed to 6 March 2024 for bail application.

Ntshavheni said two of the suspects, who were arrested in Eswatini, are still to be extradited to the country.

The six suspects arrested in the murder case of musician Kiernan Jarryd Forbes, known as AKA, and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane are due to appear in court on Thursday.

The suspects were arrested on Tuesday evening. They face charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, among others.

The announcement was made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, at the SA Police Service provincial headquarters in Durban.

The briefing was also attended by the police top brass, including Police Minister Bheki Cele and National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola.

Mkhwanazi said Forbes was the main target of the shooting, and not Motsoane, who was “at the wrong place at the wrong time”.

“The six suspects have played different roles during the operation. We have the coordinator, who is the master of everything. We have two shooters that we all saw on social media. We have two spotters. One of the spotters was inside the restaurant observing Mr Forbes and his friends, as well as the organiser of firearms and vehicles used as getaways,” Mkhwanazi said.

Mkhwanazi said the spotter initially followed Forbes from the airport to the hotel and to the restaurant where he was fatally shot.

Forbes was gunned down in Durban’s Florida Road on 10 February 2023 as he was leaving the Wish restaurant. Motsoane was also murdered.

According to Mkhwanazi, some of the cars used at the time of the murder were rented.

On 22 April 2023, the first suspect was arrested in Belhar, Cape Town. He was the alleged organiser who hired vehicles and guns. He was also in police custody for several unrelated murders.

On 24 October 2023, the second suspect, who was an alleged spotter, was arrested. He was linked to another unrelated murder in the Berea area.

Mkhwanazi said the suspects were linked to the AKA murder through four vehicles that were used in the planning, spotting and getaway, including a Mercedes Benz, BMW, Hyundai i10 and VW Polo.

Two of the vehicles had been rented and have since been returned to their owner, who has furnished the police with a statement.

The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety has strongly condemned the recent tragic murder of a medical doctor in Dobsonville, Soweto.

Well-known Dr Michael Isabelle was tragically shot during an armed robbery at his medical facility and succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital on Saturday.

“It is deeply troubling that he lost his life simply for refusing to surrender his laptop and phones to the suspects,” the committee said.

The committee has described the incident as utterly unacceptable and regrettable.

“This heartbreaking incident serves as a sad reminder of the pervasive violence that plagues our communities, with innocent individuals bearing the brunt of heinous crimes.

“Despite concerted efforts by government and civil society to combat crime in Gauteng and across the nation, criminals continue to wreak havoc and instill fear among South Africans.”

The committee has urgently called upon law enforcement agencies to swiftly apprehend those responsible for this senseless act of violence and ensure that they are brought to justice.

“It is imperative that we send a resounding message that senseless crimes of this nature have no place in our society and that perpetrators will be held accountable for their actions.”

The committee also extended its heartfelt condolences to Isabelle’s family.

“We stand in solidarity with them during this difficult time and recognise doctors’ invaluable role in saving lives and providing essential medical care to those in need.

“We urge the entire nation to unite in condemning violence and reaffirming our commitment to building safer communities for all.”

According to TimesLive Premium, Isabelle was also attacked and shot in the stomach soon after he qualified in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, 20 years ago.

A family spokesperson who spoke to the publication said Isabelle was a jazz lover, who was generous and principled with an uncompromising work ethic.