Category: Crime & Corruption News

A National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) assistant director and her son (28), have been convicted by the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court for unlawfully being in possession of top-secret information.

Jacobeth Lepinka (52) and her son, Kedifentse (28), were convicted on Friday and will be sentenced on 16 May.

National Hawks spokesperson Thandi Mbambo said: “In 2014, NPA discovered that Lepinka took the laptop with classified information to her place of residence without authorisation.

“A case of theft was registered and the incident reported to the Hawks’ Head Office based Serious Corruption Investigation team for further handling. The investigation commenced and led the team to the laptop that was utilised by Lepinka’s son who claimed to own the device.”

Mbambo said subsequent to a lengthy investigation, the accused were summoned to court where they were tried.

“Jacobeth was found guilty on charges of fraud, unauthorised access to information and unauthorised disclosure of information whereas Kedifentse was convicted for unauthorised access to information,” she said.

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Ronald Lamola, says law enforcement agencies are taking action against those who committed corruption during the COVID-19 pandemic and those who looted Eskom and corrupted SARS during the years of state capture.

The Minister was speaking during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate in Parliament on Wednesday.

“It is public knowledge that people have been arrested, monies have been recovered for the theft on COVID-19. Through the SIU, money has been recovered that was [stolen] during COVID-19 and this government is continuing to work on building and strengthening the NPA.

Honing in on two institutions – Eskom and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) – which were looted and weakened during the height of State Capture, Lamola said the long arm of the law is now reaching those who were architects of the institutions’ dismantling.

“The two institutions, [SARS and Eskom] … were not broken down by cadre deployment, they were broken down by systematic corruption and not just by being led by black people. It was corrupt individuals.

“Those officials…we will allow the processes of the law to take its place with all people who have been arrested for the corruption at Eskom. Those individuals will be held to account, a free and a fair trial will ensue,” he said.

Concerning Gender based violence (GBV) and femicide, Lamola rebuffed assertions made during the SONA debate earlier in the day that law enforcement is not taking action against perptrators.

“On GBV, [there is a] 74% conviction rate across the country. Everyday our courts are convicting someone, giving them high sentences on a daily basis and this…is reality. [There are] 396 convictions from 420 cases, five additional [Thuthuzela Care Centre] sites were established from the 2021/2022 financial year bringing the total to 60.

“During the reporting period, 34 456 matters were reported to the Thuthuzela Care Centres. A conviction rate of 76%. So it is not true that there is no work that is being done. Indeed [GBV] continues to be a challenge but…this is a matter that we must all work together to resolve as a society. We must work to ensure that we eradicate all forms of gender based violence,” he said.

Turning to the economy, the Minister reminded Members of Parliament of the devastation that the COVID-19 pandemic wrought and continues to bring on South Africa’s economy.

He emphasised that government’s Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP) is already starting to bear fruit.

“It is not the state of disaster that led to unemployment. It was the pandemic of COVID-19…that affected a number of jobs…and all the issues that today led to this country struggling economically.

“We are now working to rebuild the economy and we are back to the pre-COVID-19 economic growth statistics. What we need is to build from there and we can do so if we resolve the energy crisis…we will be able to resolve the economic challenges of our country, the unemployment challenges and the high crime rate,” he said.

The Minister told the debate that government will continue to work towards resolving the challenges that are facing the country, guided by the direction given by President Ramaphosa during the SONA.

“We will continue, through the guiding SONA that the president has delivered, to resolve the challenges of electricity, to continue to resolve the challenges of water provision, to continue to resolve the challenges of unemployment [and] to continue to resolve the challenges of [gender based violence and femicide,” Lamola said.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) is being strengthened to prevent crime, says Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele.

Gungubele conveyed the message while briefing the media on the outcomes of the regular Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.

This, he said, includes putting more police on the streets and setting up specialised teams that will focus on specific types of crime.

“South Africa will also use data driven methods in a more sophisticated way to identify and target crime hotspots,“ he said.

The Minister said SAPS was intensifying operations to detect and remove illegal firearms and ammunition from the hands of criminals.

The police have in the past 12 months permanently removed 65 519 firearms from circulation.

The Cabinet position was made in the wake of the murder of hip-hop artist Kiernan Forbes, popularly known as AKA, and celebrity chef Tebello Motsoane, in Durban, last week.

At the meeting, Cabinet expressed its condolences to the family and friends of both men.

He said: “Cabinet also expressed its sympathies to the family and friends of anti-crime activist, Mr Ayob Mungalee, who was recently shot dead at Eldorado Park in Johannesburg.”

He was the national director of the People Seeking Justice Action Group, a movement which mobilised community members to take a stand against gangsterism and drug dealing.

Cabinet also expressed condolences to the families and friends of those killed in recent mass shootings in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

“These heinous and cold-blooded attacks, which are being investigated by law-enforcement authorities, highlight the prevalence of gun violence and its impact on communities,” he said.

Meanwhile, Cabinet said school safety in South Africa remains a top priority for government and reports of violence between learners and educators are a serious cause for concern.

“While the Department of Basic Education has put mechanisms in place to combat this scourge, it is the responsibility of parents and guardians to collaborate with school authorities and learners to ensure that schools remain safe places for our learners to develop and become responsible citizens. The safety of our educators at schools is also of paramount importance,” said Gungubele.

Government calls on all citizens and community structures to work together with their local SAPS to drive crime out of communities. If you have information that can help expose people involved in illegal activities, call Crime Stop at 0800 10111.

KwaZulu-Natal Social Development MEC, Nonhlanhla Khoza, has expressed outrage at the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in Umthwalume on the South Coast of the province.

According to the reports, the girl, Emihle Vuyo Nyawose, was sent to a nearby store, but never returned home.

The suspect, who had previously asked the child for money, was reportedly the last person seen with the deceased.

After questioning, the suspect confessed to raping and killing the child by twisting her neck before burying her in a shallow grave in a nearby forest.

Khoza described the extent of brutality against the innocent child as a barbaric act of a heartless criminal.

“It is disheartening to learn about such brutality against a child. The child was robbed of her life by a person who was supposed to protect her.

“The suspect betrayed the child’s trust and that of the family, and we have full confidence in the court to give him a harsh sentence for his cruelty and barbaric act,” Khoza said.

Khoza expressed her condolences to the victim’s family, and commended the swift action by the police, who arrested a suspect linked to the brutal crime.

A team of social workers has since been dispatched to provide psycho-social support, trauma debriefing, and trauma containment to the family.

The suspect is expected to appear in court shortly, and Khoza has assured the public that the police would work tirelessly to ensure justice is served.

The MEC has also urged parents to work together to ensure that their children always play within their sight

“As parents, it is our responsibility to keep our children safe at all times. We must never send children on errands on their own, as there is an increase in abduction incidents, which are a reminder of the dangers that exist in our communities.

“Every child has a right to a safe and secure childhood, free from harm and abuse. As society, it is our duty to affirm and protect these rights, ensuring that every child can reach their full potential and live a happy and fulfilling life,” Khoza said.

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed the dismissal of a Special Tribunal appeal by former Eskom contracts manager Dudu Moyo to have a freeze order on her pension benefits reconsidered.

According to SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago, Moyo’s benefits were frozen last year following an investigation by the SIU into contracts she was managing at two of the power utility’s power stations.

She resigned during the corruption busting unit’s investigations.

“The SIU investigation revealed that Moyo unlawfully benefitted R24 584 000 from a multimillion-rand contract to transport water from Kendal Power Station to Kusile Power Station. The contract was signed with a company called Tamukelo. Moyo signed 23 payment certificates for Tamukelo between December 2011 and July 2014, at a cost of approximately R138-million.

“Furthermore, the SIU probe revealed that Tamukelo and its representatives paid entities linked or associated with Moyo, whilst she negotiated and managed Eskom’s contract with Tamukelo. The modus operandi employed by Moyo was to create structures of entities owned by members of her family and friends to receive these funds.

The SIU said there was a clear conflict of interest in that she received the funds while she formed part of middle management.

“Moyo was also part of a team that presented the negotiation strategy of the Tamukelo tender worth R300 million to the tender and procurement committee,” Kganyago said.

He added that Moyo continued to mislead Eskom by “declaring that there was no conflict of interest when dealing with Tamukelo and other role players for five years when signing Eskom’s annual declaration of Conflict Interest Policy”.

Moyo’s legal woes also extend to the High Court in Pretoria where the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), together with the SIU, were granted an order to freeze assets, including a luxury home and two vehicles belonging to her and her husband.

This was granted in relation to another matter Moyo is involved in.

“The civil litigation steps that the SIU has taken against Moyo is part of the SIU’s implementation of the SIU investigation outcomes and consequence management to recover assets and financial losses suffered by State institutions and/or to prevent further losses,” Kganyago concluded.

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government has called on law enforcement authorities to act with speed and solve the senseless and violent murder of music legend and rapper, Kiernan Jarryd Forbes, popularly known in the music industry as “AKA”.

According to the South African Police Service, AKA and and Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane were shot and killed at close range on Florida Road, Durban, on Friday night.

“We are shattered by the manner of his death. This is a tragedy of monumental proportions, and we call on the law enforcement authorities and the people of our province and country to join hands in ensuring that the killers are brought to justice.

“AKA was a global ambassador for our music and put our country on a world stage. It is… painful that this dastardly deed will be eternally associated with our province. Law enforcement authorities must speedily respond and solve this senseless murder so that the assailants face the full might of the law,” the provincial government said in a statement.

The provincial government condemned the senseless and violent killing of Forbes, and warned that the province cannot be associated with assassins who kill innocent people with impunity.

The government sent condolences to the Forbes family, friends, relatives and supporters.

“This is a dark hour for all of us and a loss to the whole nation. Crime is eating at the fabric of our society, and everyone must unite and play a role in fighting criminality.

“The killers of AKA have… [ended] his life but his spirit will never die. His music will inspire many generations to come and will remain part of our rich heritage as a nation. May his soul rest in peace,” the provincial government said.

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has expressed sadness at the untimely passing of Inkosi Zwelakhe Ndaba of Ntabamhlophe, in the Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality, in KwaZulu-Natal.

“We are shocked and saddened by the senseless killing of Inkosi Ndaba who was reportedly brutally killed by unknown gunmen at his home last night near Estcourt,” the Minister said in a statement.

She said: “As a department, we wish to join others from across the country in expressing our condolences to the family of Inkosi, the whole traditional sector, communities, the local house of traditional leaders and indeed the entire country.”

As a leader of his people, Dlamini Zuma said the chief “led with diligence, and compassion and exuded the greatest wisdom which he imparted to all those whose lives he touched across his traditional area” and uThukela District where he “served diligently”.

“We do not have words to express on such a barbaric act of cowardice that took Inkosi Ndaba from his family, his people and all of us. His untimely passing surely left a void and we will surely remember him and his indomitable commitment to serving his people, even beyond his own needs.”

She said Inkosi Ndaba was one of those traditional leaders who were passionate about the development of his people and ensuring that the greater uThukela District community received maximum benefit through partnerships from various projects and service delivery initiatives by government.

“His warmth and friendliness will be greatly missed. The institution of traditional leadership is much poorer without him.

“On behalf of the sector, I wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, and the community and we assure them of our support as they go through this difficult time. Our prayers are with the family and wish them strength to carry through in this difficult time.”

The Minister called on law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned and make sure that the perpetrators of such a heinous crime are speedily apprehended.

The Special Investigating Unit has welcomed the conviction and sentencing of a former KwaZulu-Natal education department financial manager for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) related crime.

The official, Lungelo Stewart Mhlongo, was recently handed a two-year imprisonment sentence by the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court for contravening the Public Administration Management Act. The sentence was suspended for five years on condition that he is not found guilty of the same offence during the period.

Mhlongo’s conviction follows the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) referral to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) after uncovering evidence pointing to criminal activity during the PPE investigation.

“The referral was in line with the Special Investigating Unit and Special Tribunal’s Act 74 of 1996, which requires the SIU to refer evidence pointing to criminal conduct to the NPA for further action,” said SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago.

The SIU investigations found that Mhlongo had failed to inform the KZN Department of Education, when he had a legal duty as a public officer that he had an interest in a service provider which had secured two contracts for the supply and delivery of spray pumps to the value of R1 241 425.

Mhlongo, as a Finance Manager employed in the finance unit of the provincial Department of Education, contravened the following:

• Failed to disclose his interests with the service provider.
• Was party to a contract with a service provider that was conducting business with the state, while still an employee of the KZN Department of Education (DoE).
• Failed to disclose his financial interests and or benefits as a cardholder of the service provider’s business account, to Head of Department of the KZN DoE.
• Entered transaction or acted in a way that conflicted with or infringed upon his or her duties, or which appeared to do so.
• He performed or engaged himself to perform remunerative work outside his employment in the public service without the requisite permission being granted by the DoE Head of Department.

The SIU was mandated through Proclamation No. R23 of 2020, to investigate the affairs of all State institutions in respect of the procurement or contracting for goods, works and services, during, or in respect of the National State of Disaster, by or on behalf or State institutions.

Kganyago said the Mhlongo’s conviction is a clear demonstration of cooperation by State institutions in the implementation of the SIU investigation outcomes and consequence management to recover assets and financial losses suffered by State institutions and/or to prevent further losses.

 A 43-year-old police sergeant was amongst six suspects who were arrested on Monday for possession of a suspected stolen vehicle and two hijacked truck trailers in Clewer, Emalahleni.

The South African Police Service (SAPS said Middleburg Flying Squad members received information about the truck, which was hijacked in Elsburg, Gauteng, in January.

Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said police officers followed the tracking signal, which led them to a certain plot in Clewer.

“Upon arrival, members noticed a White Toyota Dakar next to two trailers. Upon seeing the police, six people started running in different directions. Police managed to apprehend them and out of the six people, there was a police sergeant stationed at Vosman SAPS, as well as two Zimbabwean nationals.

“Police further discovered that the trailers were still loaded with cooking oil estimated at about R1.3 million and they were positively identified as the ones belonging to the reportedly hijacked truck. It was also established that the Toyota Dakar was reported stolen in Garsfontein (in Gauteng province) in September 2017,” said Mohlala.

He said the truck was also found abandoned a few kilometres from the plot. Police are currently continuing with the investigation to establish if the suspects are not involved in other similar criminal activities.

“Police will further engage the Department of Home Affairs to establish the status of the two foreign nationals in the country,” he said.

The suspects are today expected to appear at the Emalahleni Magistrate’s Court tomorrow on charges of hijacking and possession of suspected stolen properties.

Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, strongly condemned the involvement of SAPS members in criminal activities and commended dedicated members, as well as other stakeholders, for the bust.

The General said an internal investigation will also be conducted against the member who tarnished the image of the organisation.

Member of Parliament, Sibusiso Kula, has been denied bail in the Orkney Magistrates’ Court for the alleged murder of his wife.

This after Kula’s wife, Jennifer, was found with a stab wound to the back at her Kanana Township home in November.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Henry Mamothame said Kula was arrested following “thorough investigations” by police.

“Police reports reveal that Kula’s wife was found murdered…in what seemed like a robbery. She was found with a stab wound on her back but the object that was used for her alleged murder has not been recovered.

“The matter was reported by the medical facility where she was allegedly transported by the accused to receive medical attention. He told the police that he was not present at his home when the incident occurred.

“Following thorough investigations by the police, he was linked to the alleged murder, and he was arrested on Friday, 20 January 2023, and charged with murder,” he said.

Mamothame added that although Kula is expected to appeal the denial of bail, the NPA welcomes that judgement.

“The NPA welcomes this judgement and hopes investigations will be completed speedily for a trial to commence. Further to this, an application will be made at a later stage with the Director of Public Prosecutions in North West, for the matter to be transferred to a higher court, owing to its serious nature. Kula has registered his intention to appeal the judgement,” he said.

Kula is expected back in court on 24 February and will remain in custody until then.