Category: Crime & Corruption News

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has welcomed the hefty sentences handed down to three rhino poachers in the Skukuza Regional Court as it sends a strong message that the illegal killing of this iconic species will not be tolerated.

In a statement on Monday, the department said the convictions come ahead of World Rhino Day, which is celebrated annually on 22 September. World Rhino Day is a day of awareness for all five rhino species and the work being done to save them.

“Walter Hendrick Mangange, 59, Shangani Mathebula, 26, and Emmanuel Mdluli, 33, were convicted on 2 September on charges related to rhino poaching, including entering the Kruger National Park with intent to commit a crime, including the possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition, possession of a dangerous weapons and three counts of hunting rhinoceros,” the department said.

Rangers using tracker dogs had spotted the men shooting two rhino when they were investigating gunshots heard in the park.

The poachers were arrested with the support of the South African National Parks (SANParks) helicopter team.

They were found in possession of a rifle of which the serial number had been filed off, ammunition and rhino horns stashed in a backpack.

“Mangane was sentenced to a total of 45 years imprisonment and Mdluli to 30 years in jail for trespassing, numerous charges related to the illegal possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, possession of a dangerous weapon and three counts of rhino poaching,” the department said.

Mathebula, a Mozambican national, who was in South Africa illegally, received a 30-year sentence for contravening the immigration act, trespassing, charges related to the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, possession of a dangerous weapon and three counts of hunting rhino.

“This sentence is a welcome example of the successes being achieved through the collaborative approach taken by government to combat rhino poaching. In this instance, the success is attributed to the teamwork by the rangers, police and prosecutors to secure this conviction,” the department said.

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has urged the public to be cautious and vigilant when dealing with Binance Group, saying the company is not authorised to give any financial advice or render any intermediary services.

The FSCA said the company is not compliant in terms of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, 2002 (FAIS Act) in South Africa.

In a statement, the FSCA said it received information that Binance, an international company situated in the Seychelles, has a telegram group that members of the South African public can join to gain access to their cryptocurrency exchange platform.

“The FSCA would like to caution that in addition to this entity not being authorised to provide any financial services or business, crypto-related investments are currently not regulated by the FSCA or any other body in South Africa.

“As a result, if something goes wrong, you’re unlikely to get your money back and will have no recourse against anyone,” said the authority.

The FSCA said members of the public should always check that an entity or individual is registered with the FSCA to provide financial advisory and intermediary services, and what category of advice it is that the entity is registered to provide.

“There are instances where persons are registered to provide basic advisory services for a low-risk product and then offer services of a far more complex and risky nature.”

The FSCA urged consumers who wish to conduct financial services with an institution or person to check beforehand with the FSCA on either the toll free number (0800 110 443) or on the website www.fsca.co.za as to whether or not such institution or person is authorised to render financial services, and in particular, which financial products they are licensed for.

Mpumalanga Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, has welcomed the arrest of a 23-year-old man suspected to be behind rape and robbery incidents that recently occurred at Nkomazi area in the Ehlanzeni District.

In a statement, provincial SAPS spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, said the suspect was cornered at Matsulu by members of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) in Pienaar. He was also charged on immigration charges and appeared before the Kabokweni Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

He said: “According to the information at police disposal, defenceless women were allegedly raped as well as robbed of their personal belongings between April 2021 and August 2021 at both Matsulu and Kaapmuiden near Malelane. There were cases opened to that regard and the FCS Unit was assigned to probe as well as ensure that the perpetrator is swiftly brought to book”.

Mdhluli said the FCS team were hard at work to apprehend the suspect when it emerged about a suspicious illegal immigrant who was roaming around the streets of Matsulu.

The details were then followed up and the SAPS members arrested him in the early hours of Thursday, he said.

“During the tour of their investigation, the FCS team discovered that he is a suspect that they have been looking for, for quite some time. Then in the afternoon of yesterday, Saturday, 04 August 2021, he was charged on four counts of rape and three counts of robbery.

“At the place where the suspect was arrested, police also found some items belonging to females which they (police) now suspect that the items could be that of his victims. The SAPS cannot rule out possibility of linking the man to several cases reported where women became victims of violent crimes,” he said.

The suspect was today expected to appear before the Matsulu Periodical Court on charges relating to the said incidents of robberies and rapes.

Manamela in the statement further urged those who fell victims of violent crimes in the past but never reported such cases to come forward and report at their nearest police stations.

The General also appreciated the public for the information they provided as well as the swift reaction by members from FCS which led to the breakthrough and the suspect’s arrest.

She concluded by highlighting that her vision of working towards eradicating Gender-Based-Violence in the province is beginning to show some positive results.

The Department of Correctional Services has announced that former President Jacob Zuma has been placed on medical parole.

In a statement, the department said a medical report on the former President spurred on the decision to allow him medical parole.

“Medical parole’s eligibility for [the former President] is impelled by a medical report received by the Department of Correctional Services. Apart from being terminally ill and physically incapacitated, inmates suffering from an illness that severely limits their daily activity or self-care can also be considered for medical parole,” said the department in a statement on Sunday.

Former President Zuma was serving a second month behind bars after the Constitutional Court sentenced him to 15 months imprisonment for contempt of court.

The department says he will now be under community corrections.

“Medical parole placement for [the former President] means that he will complete the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections, whereby he must comply with [a] specific set of conditions and will be subjected to supervision until his sentence expires,” the statement said.

The department explained that decisions to grant medical parole are made through a legal framework.

“Section 75(7)(a) of the Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998 affords the National Commissioner a responsibility to place under correctional supervision or day parole, or grant parole or medical parole to a sentenced offender serving a sentence of incarceration for 24 months or less. The National Commissioner is also in terms of Section 52, empowered to prescribe conditions of parole.

“The risk of re-offending of released inmates must also be low and there must be appropriate arrangements for the inmate’s supervision, care and treatment within the community to which the inmate is to be released to. Medical parole can only be revoked if an offender does not comply with the placement conditions,” the statement read.

The department said all offenders can be placed medical parole if they meet the criteria.

“We want to reiterate that placement on medical parole is an option available to all sentenced offenders provided they meet all the requirements. We appeal to all South Africans to afford [former President] Zuma dignity as he continues to receive medical treatment,” it said.

One of the main challenges to undoing backlogs in licence renewals and applications is corruption at Driving Licence Testing Centres (DLTC) around the country.

This is according to Transport Department Deputy Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga who was briefing the Portfolio Committee on Transport about plans to improve the online licence booking system.

It was revealed during the briefing that the country is losing billions of Rands to corruption at DLTCs with corruption in Mpumalanga costing the state about R2 billion.

The deputy minister said collusion between driver’s license operators and officials working at testing centres results in a lack of booking slots, particularly in Gauteng.

“If corruption was not as endemic, entrenched and systemic, most of the challenges would not be here. The issue is mainly about corruption. We have syndicates operating in our centres, from the security at the gate to the most senior official of the licencing station, and we are trying by all means to fight this corruption. Our interventions and the action plan on the renewal of licences seek to overhaul the current system, which is plagued with inefficiencies and corruption,” Chikunga said.

The deputy minister was joined in the briefing by Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) chief executive officer Advocate Makhosini Msibi.

He told the committee that corrupt activities are hampering progress at DLTCs.

“In Mpumalanga alone we are losing about R2 billion to fraudulent activities by officials. It is a very lucrative deal to work at a DTLC. Most make, on average, no less than R22 000 per day. We arrested officials who were making about R140 000 in two days,” he said.

Msibi told the committee that the RTMC will be upgrading its National Traffic Information System (NaTIS), moving towards the digitisation of mobile booking centres, introducing online eye tests and bringing more provinces onto the online booking system in order to counter corruption.

“With the online booking system, a driver will do bookings online and only go for eye tests at the station, and also have the option of having their licence delivered at home, to avoid queuing. The new system of smart services speaks to all the elements of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and the harmonisation with Home Affairs to establish validity of identity documents will all deal with the problem of fake driving licences,” Advocate Msibi said.

The Department of Employment and Labour in the Free State has cautioned the public against scammers posing as recruitment officials from the department.

In a statement, it said it had noted with concern reports of scammers who were contacting aspirant work seekers and offering them fraudulent employment positions at a fee of R2 000.

“The fraudsters are targeting desperate job seekers and pretending to be recruitment officials working for the Department of Employment and Labour.

“The scammers are taking advantage of the dire unemployment rate in the country and are luring scores of people who are in desperate need of jobs to parting with their last funds and the Department is appealing to everyone to be on the lookout,” reads the statement.

The Department reiterated that all recruitment was done in line with recruitment policies, in a fair and impartial manner.

“Under no circumstances are departmental officials selling job positions to the public. Such acts in the name of the department are condemned.”

The public was encouraged to report such acts by contacting the nearest Department of Employment and Labour offices, or report on Department’s fraud hotline on 0860 022 194 or email – fraud@labour.gov.za

Police Minister Bheki Cele has called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to intensify and conclude the investigation into the killing of 11 people in Umlazi this week.

The township in KwaZulu-Natal was this week rocked by a double mass murder that saw six people slain on Sunday and a further five on Tuesday evening.

Cele went to the province on Thursday to visit the scenes and get a report from provincial police management.

On Sunday, 29 August 2021, six people were shot and killed at the U Section of Umlazi. Two days later, three gunmen opened fire inside a house in the W Section of the township, killing five people, with three others sustaining serious injuries.

Cele in a statement said while police are yet to make arrests on both cases, they are following up on a strong lead in the one incident, which is set to shed more light into the motive and whether or not the shootings are linked.

“Most of those killed in both these incidents, including the 14-year-old boy, were sadly people at the wrong place at the wrong time, but some were unsavoury characters who were linked to criminality taking place in surrounding areas.

“A profile of one of the deceased shows he was a convicted criminal, who was arrested and handed a 12-year suspended sentence for very serious crimes, including counts of armed robbery and possession of an illegal firearm. However, police must find the killers of these 11 people, regardless of who they were and what they did.”

Meanwhile, Cele commended the progress in investigations into the brutal murder of 36 people in Phoenix during the July civil unrest that rocked the KZN and Gauteng.

In total, 56 suspects have so far been arrested by the detective team deployed to the area to investigate the murders.

Further, the Minister noted the developments in the investigations into the killing of Gauteng Health department whistleblower, Babita Deokaran. Announcing the arrest of an additional two suspects, Cele commended the speed with which the team has been able to crack the case.

Gender Based Violence and Femicide is one of the biggest challenges currently facing the country, Cabinet said on Thursday.

This is according to Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, who was briefing the media on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting, held on Wednesday.

Cabinet expressed condolences to the families of Nosicelo Mtebeni, Palesa Maruping and Pheliswa “Dolly” Sawutana following their gruesome murders last month.

“These heinous crimes were committed during the commemoration of Women’s Month in August, which was the month to celebrate the strides we have made in bridging the gender inequalities in our society. These crimes have reminded all of us that GBVF remains the biggest challenge facing the country. It requires all of us to work harder to strengthen the protection of women.

“Cabinet has called on law-enforcement agencies to ensure justice is served for these women and their families,” Gungubele said at a media briefing.

Gungubele said that at least R21 billion has been allocated by government to implement the National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence and Femicide.

He added that the whole country also needs to intervene to fight the scourge.

“A number of interventions have been put in place to strengthen our criminal justice system. These include increasing dedicated regional courts to deal with sexual offences, strengthening our sexual offences laws and equipping our police officers with the requisite skills to deal effectively with such offences.

A number of government buildings have been converted to create more shelters for women in distress. Cabinet calls on all of us to join hands in creating a safe and secure environment for women in the country,” he said.

To obtain assistance and counselling on Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) matters, call the GBV Command Centre on 0800 428 428 (0800 GBV GBV).

Callers can also request a social worker from the Command Centre to contact them by dialling *120*7867# (free) from any cell phone.

Police Minister Bheki Cele will today be briefed by the KwaZulu-Natal South African Police Service (SAPS) management on the recent gruesome double mass murders in Umlazi.

In a statement, the Police Ministry said Cele had learnt with shock of the double mass murders that claimed the lives of 11 people between Sunday and Tuesday.

On Sunday, six people were shot and killed at U Section in Umlazi.

“Two days later, three gunmen opened fire inside a house in W Section killing five people who were shot in the head,” Ministry spokesperson Lirandzu Themba said in a statement.

Three others sustained serious injuries and were rushed to hospital on Tuesday.

She said investigations continue and police are yet to make arrests.

The Minister will receive a full briefing on both the incidents by the SAPS provincial management team, before making his way to the crime scenes, she said.

Among the murdered were women and a minor.

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and Transnet have welcomed a Special Tribunal judgment ordering that the rail, port and pipeline company’s former executive pay back R26.4 million to the utility.

Judge Lebogang Modiba made the order on Tuesday against Herbert Msagala, Transnet’s former group executive for capital projects.

In a joint statement, the SIU and Transnet said the Special Tribunal found that Msagala illegally received payments from Transnet service provider, IGS Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd while employed full time by Transnet.

The SIU and Transnet instituted civil matters in the Special Tribunal in July 2020 to order that Msagala pay the money he received from a tender with IGS Consulting between 2015 and 2016.

They said the judgment was “a key step in ensuring accountability and consequence management” for executives who may have been involved in criminal activity while employed at Transnet.

Transnet said it would continue to work with the SIU and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that justice is served on all those found guilty of wrongdoing.

“This is a continuation of implementation of the SIU investigations outcomes and consequence management to recover financial losses suffered by State institutions including State Owned Entities (SOEs) like Transnet. There are other cases enrolled in the High Court and in the Special Tribunal awaiting adjudication and will result in further recoveries for the State,” said SIU head Advocate Andy Mothibi.