Category: Crime & Corruption News

Four cash in transit (CIT) robbers were fatally wounded in a shootout with law enforcement agencies in Mmakau in the North West province on Monday afternoon.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), a multi-disciplinary team received intelligence about a group of suspects planning to commit a cash in transit robbery between the North West and Gauteng.

“The information was operationalised and led the team to the N4 highway where the identified suspects’ vehicle was observed.

“The suspects’ vehicle was spotted as it turned towards Mmakau. A high-speed chase and shootout ensued as soon as the suspects realised they were about to be captured.

“The suspects lost control of their vehicle and collided with a fence. Four of the suspects were fatally wounded and three unlicensed firearms, two handguns as well as a rifle were recovered from the scene,” said the police.

The suspects are aged between 30 and 45-years-old.

The multi-disciplinary team – comprising the Hawks Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS), Gauteng Traffic Saturation Unit, Gauteng Traffic Police Chopper, Badboyz Security, Tracker Connect, CAP Specialised Operations, FRS-Falcon Risk Solutions, SAPS PHO Crime Intelligence, SAPS Anti-Gang Unit and SAPS Gauteng Tactical Response Team – have been applauded for foiling the would-be cash in transit heist.

Police said further investigations are ongoing.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) conducted various high-density operations in the North West province last week, which resulted in 597 suspects being arrested for various crimes.

The suspects were arrested during an Operation Shanela initiative which was held from Monday, 23 October 2023, to Sunday, 29 October 2023.

According to a statement by the police, among others, four arrests were made for drug-related offences, 11 for dealing in liquor, 21 for driving under the influence of liquor, three for possession of firearms and ammunition and 66 were undocumented persons who were handed over to the Department of Home Affairs for further processing.

The following arrests were made for serious and violent crimes: six for murder, four for attempted murder, five for armed robbery, 149 for assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm, three for business robbery, 41 for burglary, 30 for malicious damage to property, 13 for rape and 104 for common assault.

During the operations, two firearms with ammunition, eight cellular phones as well as a variety of drugs and precious metals were confiscated.

Some of the suspects have already appeared before court while others are expected to make their respective court appearances this week in various courts in the province.

During the operations, 93 premises were searched, 12 road blocks were held and 11 unlicensed liquor premises were closed down.

In one of the incidents, a 45-year-old police officer was attacked with a sjambok in Extension 4, in Lebaleng location, Makwassie, by an alleged tuck shop owner while a law enforcement team was conducting consumer inspections.

The suspect attacked the police officer from behind, while he was removing expired products from the tuck shop. The officer was taken to a local clinic for medical treatment.

Investigations are underway and an arrest is imminent, said police.

The Provincial police Commissioner in the North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, said an attack on a police officer is an attack against the state and it will not be tolerated.

He warned that consumption of expired goods could cause people to fall ill and even die, therefore the police will continue to work hard together with other government departments to ensure the safety of the community.

The Special Tribunal has set aside an R8 million personal protective equipment contract awarded by the Transport department in 2020.

The contract was awarded to the company, Ecko Green, to supply the taxi industry with personal protective equipment (PPE).

This as the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) application to review and set aside a personal protective equipment PPE contract awarded by the Department of Transport in April 2020 was successful.

The SIU welcomed the tribunal’s judgment in a statement.

“An investigation by the SIU revealed that Ecko Green was not registered on the government’s Central Supplier Database (CSD) when it was awarded the contract. Ecko Green edited details of another company on CSD in April 2020 for the purpose of submitting bid documents to the department.

“The Special Tribunal ruled that the procurement process that led to the awarding of the contract to Ecko Green is declared irregular and unlawful. Ecko Green was awarded a PPE contract despite not being on the department’s supplier database and its name was given to the department by a senior SANTACO [South African National Taxi Council] official.

“The company was ordered to pay the department R1 701 000 plus interest, within 30 days from the date of the order. This amount represents profit derived from the PPE contract,” the SIU said in a statement on Sunday.

The investigation also found that Ecko Green allegedly made a R220 000 payment to a company linked to then SANTACO chief executive officer Nkululeko Buthelezi.

“Buthelezi is the one who handed a list of suppliers to the transport department, which included Ecko Green. When questioned about the payment, Ecko Green director Sharon Bhimjee claimed that the funds were for ‘rendered advisory services’ by Buthelezi and were not associated with the Ecko Green contract.

“[Special Tribunal Judge Lebogang Modiba] stated that had Ecko Green declared its relationship with Buthelezi and disclosed the conflict of interest to the department, Ecko Green would have been excluded from the bidding process. Ecko Green’s failure to disclose Bhimjee’s business associate’s relationship with Buthelezi is grossly irregular, Judge Modiba found,” the SIU said.

Efforts by various law enforcement agencies to curb various crimes in communities continue to yield successful outcomes with over 300 suspects having been arrested over the weekend in Gauteng.

The joint efforts comprised members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD), Gauteng Traffic,  the Community Policing Forum, the Department of Home Affairs and other law enforcement agencies.

During the integrated Operation Shanela on Saturday, law enforcement agencies arrested two suspects for possession of three unlicensed firearms and ammunition while executing their duties at Moleleki Extension 2.  The two were arrested after law enforcement officers went to a car wash and noticed a man hiding something in one of the cars. The police immediately approached the car and upon searching it, discovered two AK47 rifles, a pistol and ammunition.

“Among the suspects arrested this weekend, 277 suspects were nabbed by detectives who were tracing suspects in the District Policing precincts during their Shanela operations conducted on Saturday, whereby 129 [suspects] were arrested for contact crime, 21 for contact related crime, five for property crime, two for tempering with essential infrastructure, five for crimes depending on police action and 34 for gender-based violence,” said police on Sunday.

Ekurhuleni District Commissioner Major General Anna Sithole commended the efforts by the teams to reduce crime.

Meanwhile, in KwaZulu-Natal, 62 suspects were arrested for various crimes in KwaDukuza on Friday following an Operation Shanela initiative in the central business district.

Various disciplines from the KwaZulu-Natal police joined forces with multiple stakeholders to remove criminals from the streets.

The suspects were arrested for various offences such as possession of drugs, dangerous weapons, illicit cigarettes, illegal medicines as well as  counterfeit goods.

A total of 36 illegal immigrants were also detained for contravention of the Immigration Act.

The police also recovered 60 heroine capsules as well as dagga and counterfeit goods with a street value of R140 000. A number of scrapyards were also searched and the police seized scaffolding equipment and a bakkie.

The arrested suspects are expected to appear in the KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court today.

Three people including two customs officers and an Air Namibia attendant have been sentenced to at least 10 years imprisonment following their conviction on drug related charges.

The convicts – Sydney Bilankulu, Courdel Khoza and Thabo Dikgale – were found guilty of dealing in drugs, possession of drugs and defeating the ends of justice and sentenced in the Alexandra Magistrates’ court.

According to a National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) statement, a fourth convict Oscar Osigwe, entered a plea and sentence agreement and was sentenced to eight years in jail in 2017.

The NPA explained that in 2016, Osigwe arrived at OR Tambo International Airport with some 1295.8 grams of cocaine in the form of plastic wrapped bullets he had swallowed.

“Osigwe told the court that a Nigerian man in Brazil had given him the drugs and bought him a ticket to South Africa. He further told the court that the Nigerian man said that there would be people at the ORTIA, who would be waiting for him and that his identity was already shared with these people.

“On arrival, while he was waiting in the queue, he was told to stand aside by two SARS customs officials [Khoza and Dikgale].

“Whilst searching for him, he was informed by Dikgale that they had been waiting for him. They thereafter went with Osigwe, to a hotel where his sim card was replaced with a new sim card that would be used to communicate with him after he had excreted the drugs. They gave him instructions on where to drop off the bag with drugs after the excretion was completed,” the statement read.

An on-duty police officer at the airport, Sergeant Nathan Govender, subsequently received a tip-off about Osigwe and the cocaine he had brought into the country.

“[Govender] gathered a team that went to the hotel where Osigwe had checked in. On arrival, they questioned Osigwe, who agreed that he had excreted 71 of the drugs and 18 were still inside his stomach.

“Osigwe received a call from the accused to move to the drop-off point, where he was followed by the team.  He handed the bag of cocaine to Bilankulu who was together with Dikgale and Khoza and they were all arrested,” the statement said.

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) has issued a warning to members of the public, especially job seekers and small businesses, of scammers who are out in full force ahead of the festive season.

“Please be not foolish with your money and be misled and lied to by scammers,” the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure said in a statement.

The department said it does not offer any jobs or tenders that are not officially advertised in the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) circular, on the official departmental website – www.publicworks.gov.za – or national newspapers.

The website, application links and the email addresses always end with “gov.za” and never with “.org” as advertised in the latest fraudulent adverts.

The public is warned to be on the lookout for these scammers who often request payments from people for government services that are never paid for.

“Please take note that the government will never request payments for services, jobs and tenders – the so-called RFQ. Any request or demand for money on any ‘job advert’ should set off the alarm bells already.

“We urge all job seekers to always verify all advertised vacancies by going to the official websites as highlighted above. Job seekers are also advised to visit the DPWI offices to verify any vacancies advertised,” the department said.

Any Request for Quotation (RFQ) or suspicious job offers must be verified with the department.

The public is advised to visit the departmental website or contact 012 406 1439 or Lesole.Matsotso@dpw.gov.za.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, has reiterated the call to the inter-faith community to continue praying for all communities afflicted by crime, gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), rape and murder.

“It is my view that crime prevention cannot be left to be the responsibility of government alone. Let us all hold hands and work together,” Dube-Ncube said.

Dube-Ncube made the call during the Provincial Youth Committee Gospel Arts and Culture Competition, held in Mthwalume, South Coast on Sunday. Participants in the competition showcased their talents and competitive spirit in gospel music, arts and culture.

The Premier said violence meted out against women in particular, is a shame and is a threat to all social cohesion and nation-building efforts.

“Today’s event reminds us that our communities are plagued by the scourge of GBVF and Crime in general. Crime here in the Mthwalume area in recent years and GBVF in particular has been a major worry.

“While the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele has assured me that the crimes of murder especially GBVF are being attended to, I urge the community to work closely with the SAPS [South African Police Service] to do everything to address all the sources of crime in this area and in the rest of the province,” she said.

The Premier said the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), places power in the hands of artists.

“With access to technology artists can now interact directly with their audience, create songs and post to all streaming platforms without the help of a manager or record label. This can take place whether you are Johannesburg or New York or even in a backroom here in Mthwalume.

“While the labels and record companies still do have a place, artists are now positioned better to attract success before labels get to them. Today’s event is therefore more than just entertainment or competition, but is an opportunity to minister, and also to provide economic empowerment opportunities in music and the performing arts to artists from all over our province,” the Premier said.

She added that bringing a gospel competition to Mthwalume is a demonstration that gospel music, which is one of the most popular genres in South Africa, belongs to the people. She said it underlines her belief that development of rural areas is as important as addressing the issue of services in rural areas.

Gauteng police started Operation Safer Festive Season on a high note when they recorded arrests of more than 140 suspects and recovered rifles, including an AK-47, from a man suspected to be a kingpin of illegal mining in the West Rand.

“Police received information about a suspect who is in possession of unlicensed firearms in Bekkersdal, West Rand District. The information was operationalised on the day of Operation Safer Festive Season, 21 October 2023. Upon searching the premises, police from Crime intelligence and Bekkersdal Visible Policing found two unlicensed firearms (R5 rifle and AK47 rifle) and dagga,” said the Gauteng South African Police Service (SAPS) in a statement on Sunday.

The incident saw a 36-year-old suspect being arrested for unlawful possession of firearms and dealing in dagga.

Furthermore, detectives went on to trace wanted suspects and arrested 56 of them for crimes ranging from rape to fraud.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Police General Bheki Cele, the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service General Fannie Masemola and Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Elias Mawela joined the police at a roadblock and illegal mining disruptive operation in Roodepoort.

The operation resulted in more than 85 suspects being arrested for offences that include possession of suspected stolen goods and contravening the Immigration Act.

Generators and drilling machines used by the illegal miners were seized as the police dismantled and disrupted their operation.

An intelligence driven operation led by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) Durban Harbour and members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) in KwaZulu-Natal has led to a drug bust of cocaine worth R70 million.

In a statement, SAPS highlighted that for the past month, SAPS Durban harbour members have been monitoring and keeping surveillance on a vessel that was making its way to South Africa from Brazil.

“Prior to the vessel arriving at the Port of Durban, members intercepted the identified vessel and mobilised various units and resources to conduct a search and seizure operation on the identified containers.

“Today, a multidisciplinary operation was conducted and 20 litre paint containers were seized. Inside, police found 200 blocks of cocaine worth R70 million,” SAPS said on Wednesday.

The management of the SAPS, led by the Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele commended the meticulous investigative work at play.

“We will continue to stamp the authority of the state, we are strengthening our response and our strategy in dealing with these syndicates”, Minister Cele said.

Meanwhile, the National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola said that the National Safer Festive Season Operations are gaining momentum.

“Well done to the team for intercepting these drugs that were hidden in paint. This is only the beginning of our safer festive operations. Just last week we confiscated R75 million worth of counterfeit goods in Cape Town.

“We will continue to intercept these illicit activities throughout the country. We are heightening and intensifying our fight against crime especially, organised crime syndicates. This particular investigation will focus on the origin and destination of the drugs to ensure we effect arrests”, Masemola said.

Minister Cele visits family of slain cop

Earlier on Wednesday, a delegation led by Minister Cele visited the family of Warrant Officer Sthembiso Mazibuko who was shot and killed during an operation in Ntuzuma.

He had 17 years’ service and was attached to the National Intervention Unit (NIU).

The delegation also proceeded to visit the member who was injured in the same operation in hospital where management wished him a speedy recovery.

The funeral details of the fallen hero will be announced in due course.

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has welcomed the 10-year direct imprisonment of two Zimbabwean nationals for tampering with essential infrastructure.

In a statement on Wednesday, the agency hailed the sentence as a victory and commended its security for apprehending the men.

Namer Ndovu (27) and Collen Singanje (28) received 10-year direct imprisonment sentences each in the Pretoria North Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

“On 21 December 2020, the two were caught at Eskia Mphahlele Drive, in the Wonderboom area by PRASA security guards, with eight pieces of signal copper cables.  The PRASA security guards took the two and the cables to the police station to report the matter, where they were arrested and have been in custody since,” the agency said on Wednesday.

In court, they pleaded not guilty to the charges; however, state prosecutor Lufuno Manena was able to prove the state’s case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The state called John Motswaledi, a corporate security investigator at PRASA, who told the court that each cable was valued at R 3000 each, however, the crime committed had an impact of over R300 000, on the company because of what went into replacing and repairing the damage done.

“In aggravation, Prosecutor Manena told the court that damaging infrastructure affects the economy of the country, ordinary citizens, and businesses.  He also told the court that under the circumstances, the community needs to be protected by the courts by imposing a stiff sentence, which will deter not only the two but also wannabe suspects.

“Therefore, he asked the court to impose an appropriate sentence to restore trust in the justice system.  Magistrate Phogotlhe Motlang agreed with the state,” said PRASA.