Category: Crime & Corruption News

Gauteng police arrested more than 1070 suspects at the weekend during various operations, with 150 of them allegedly driving while under the influence of alcohol.

The suspects were arrested during O Kae Molao Operations, tracing of wanted suspects and routine police stop and search in various parts of the province between Friday and Sunday.

Among the serious crimes committed were violent crimes such as rape, sexual assault, murder, car hijacking, attempted murder and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, robbery, theft, fraud, possession of drugs, possession of suspected stolen property and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

In addition, police arrested over 70 people for contravention of the National Disaster Management Act.

Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Elias Mawela led the integrated law enforcement agencies in Kagiso, in the West Rand, joined by MEC for Community Safety Faith Mazibuko.

During this operation, police arrested more than 40 drunk drivers at a road block, 138 other suspects were arrested in the West Rand for crimes including possession of drugs, armed robbery, murder and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Crime combatting operations were also conducted in Soweto where more than 165 suspects were arrested for crime ranging from rape, murder, assault, theft, intimidation, pointing of firearm and robbery.

In the Tshwane district over 310 suspects were nabbed by integrated law enforcement agencies made up of South African Police Service, Metro Police Department and Gauteng Traffic Police.

These suspects were arrested for crimes ranging from assault, possession of suspected stolen property, reckless and negligent driving and dealing in drugs.

Furthermore, Joint intelligence-driven operations were also effective and yielded positive results in the Ekurhuleni District where 363 suspects were arrested for crimes that include assault, robbery, and possession of suspected stolen property, rape, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearm and possession of drugs.

In Sedibeng, police arrested 58 suspects for committing offences that include murder, burglary at residential premises, theft, robbery and selling liquor without licence.

The arrested suspects will appear in various Magistrate’s Courts in Gauteng in due course.

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education Chairperson Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, has expressed concern at a bullying incident, where a Grade 8 learner at a Cape Town school was caught on camera setting alight the hair of a fellow learner.

The incident took place at Belgravia High School in Athlone, Cape Town.

The video, which circulated on social media, showed a girl sitting in class and taunted by a boy who poured a liquid on her head and set her hair alight while laughing can be heard in the background. In the video, the teacher appears to have stepped out of the class.

Mbinqo-Gigaba said all learners should be familiar with the anti-bullying policies and the consequences thereof if they do not adhere to them.

“The bullying behaviour of this boy has also put the life of this learner, as well as that of other learners in danger by setting the girl’s hair alight.

“Furthermore, we have last month experienced the horrific effects of bullying when a Limpopo learner committed suicide after videos of her being smacked around by fellow Grade 10 girls were shared on social media. Policies should be enforced. If there are still schools operating without a code of conduct or an anti-bullying policy, they should urgently address this matter,” the chairperson said in a statement on Friday.

Mbinqo-Gigaba, the Western Cape Education Department has confirmed that the learner was suspended after the video became public.

She also urged education authorities across the country to ensure that those involved in bullying are made to face the consequences of their actions.

“Education is a societal issue [and] therefore, the responsibility for the safety of learners does not just lie with the education authorities, but with everyone. I want to urge parents and caregivers to also take up this responsibility to make learners aware of bullying and its devastating consequences,” Mbinqo-Gigaba.

She said the committee is planning an oversight visit to schools in the province in the near future.

North West Local Government and Human Settlements MEC Mmoloki Cwaile, has welcomed the North West High Court ruling which directs Kgetlengrivier Concerned Citizens to hand over water treatment plants back to Magalies Water.

This follows a protracted court battle, which saw the court ordering the group to handover the water and wastewater treatment plants back to Magalies Water, which was appointed as the implementing agent earlier this year.

The North West High Court has also granted an interdict against the Concerned Citizens, restraining them from blocking the entrance and egress of the water and wastewater treatment plants situated in Koster and Swartuggens.

Cwaile said the group reneged on an arrangement where all parties agreed that they will hand over the water and waste treatment plants to Magalies Water, as an implementing agent.

“We have been vindicated because we said from the onset that we cannot allow a situation where the infrastructure is managed and controlled by private people. We can’t allow the safety of the community of Kgetlengrivier [to be] compromised by having the plants controlled by unauthorised people,” Cwaile said on Wednesday.

According to the department, the group retook the plants in March 2021 after it was handed over to Magalies Water as per the agreement of all parties, lamenting non-payment by the department for the work done while they occupied the plants between January and February 2021.

“They denied the officials of Magalies Water access to the plants raising an issue of non-payment by the department, in spite of their lawyer having been informed about the delay in payment due to the closure of the financial payment systems at the end of the financial year 2020/21.

“The department has since paid over R15 million for the operations and maintenance of the plants, as well as their legal costs, which was one of the conditions contained in the settlement court order,” Cwaile said.

Cwaile will preside over the official handover of water and wastewater treatment plants back to Magalies Water.

Municipality called to accelerate service delivery

Meanwhile, the MEC has called on the Kgetlengrivier Municipality to make sure that they accelerate service delivery to the community, and urged Magalies Water to occupy the plants as a matter urgency to avoid water services disruptions.

“We call on the rate payers to work with government in adding a positive impetus to our people’s desire for a better life and redress on any other concerns.  The Provincial Executive Council has resolved to provide an increased support to Kgetlengrivier and other municipalities, through the District Development Model, working with the national government,” Cwaile said.

A 47-year-old man has appeared in the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court on charges of kidnapping and the murder of his two-year-old daughter.

The man from Alabama appeared in court after the lifeless body of the toddler was found inside the ceiling of his residential home.

In a statement on Wednesday, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the matter was postponed to 26 May for further investigations and bail application.

The state will oppose bail.

“It is alleged that on Thursday 13 May, the man went to his girlfriend’s home at extension 20 in Jouberton and took their daughter without the consent of the mother who was in hospital at the time. The family members who were taking care of the child, did not mind when the father was taking the child as he usually did when he passed by the mother’s house. Upon inquiry, he denied taking the child,” said NPA North West spokesperson, Henry Mamothame.

The next day when the mother was discharged from hospital, she went on a search for the baby with the help of family members but they could not find her.

The following day, she went to Jouberton Police Station where a case of a missing person was opened.

Mamothane said further investigations by the police led to the arrest of the father on Sunday.

He was charged with kidnapping after failing to tell the police where the child was.

“It is alleged that on Monday, following a bad smell coming from the suspect’s house, the neighbours investigated and discovered the lifeless body of the child hidden inside the ceiling. The police were called and a murder charge was added. The man was remanded in custody until his next court appearance,” he said.

Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, has condemned a mob justice incident that claimed the lives of four people and injured five others at Plot 52 in the Zandspruit informal settlement.

Preliminary reports indicate that members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) attached to the Honeydew police station were alerted of the mob justice incident, which took place in the early hours of Wednesday.

Upon arrival at the scene, members found a group of more than 200 people gathering at an open space and started throwing stones at police.

“The police immediately called for backup. When re-enforcement arrived, police dispersed the group of people. The police found nine persons, aged between 20 and 30 years old, lying on the ground, badly assaulted and set alight by the angry mob,” the provincial department of community safety said.

Four people were confirmed dead by the team of paramedics, while the five who were critically injured were taken to the Chris Hani Baragwanath and Helen Joseph hospitals to receive medical attention.

The MEC said gruesome acts often leave communities traumatised and have long-term devastating effects.

“We urge the community to remain calm and exercise restraint as we await the full report from the police and look for solutions to their problems. While we understand that communities at times feel let down by law enforcement, we urge them to avoid taking the law into their own hands and being in conflict with the law,” Mazibuko said.

Meanwhile, Gauteng Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela condemned the incident wherein a group of people went out to search for boys who were allegedly robbing people in the area.

“It is alleged that about nine boys were forcefully taken to the sport ground where they were assaulted, four died and five were taken to hospital,” said Captain Kay Makhubele.

Police are investigating cases of murder and attempted murder.

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) has ordered a full-scale forensic investigation into the financial administration at the Compensation Fund (CF).

The directive came during a briefing held on Wednesday in the form of a hearing with the CF on the entity’s annual report and financial statements, as well as irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure for the 2019/20 financial year.

The committee told Employment and Labour Minister, Thulas Nxesi, who led the delegation that the CF has in the last 10 financial years received worse and unacceptable audit findings that included disclaimers.

The committee also told the Minister and the delegation that the appearance of the CF before it on irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure has become a permanent feature.

“This indicates a total collapse of internal controls, no audit action plan and the situation is untenable. The entity has been on the red in spite of the fact that its senior managers have been there for more than five years, yet the situation is worsening under their watch,” Committee chairperson, Mkhuleko Hlengwa said.

Nxesi acknowledged that there are challenges at the fund and the reason for that arises from a combination of many factors, including deepening corruption and deep structural challenges.

The Minister said the only thing that can save the entity from the current quagmire, is the institution of forensic investigations and organisational review.

He also assured the committee about the application of consequence management to the responsible officials.

The committee also noted that only seven officials, out of more than 80 officials who underwent disciplinary action for corruption that has placed the entity to the appalling situation it is in.

“The system is a resource that is used and managed by people, it is the people who have failed to manage it or manipulated it for deliberate nefarious reasons. Tolerance of the disastrous audit findings for the period of 10 years indicates clearly that the problem is with the people, not the system at the CF,” Hlengwa said.

The committee has ordered the Minister to institute a full-scale forensic investigation at the CF and that all the audit findings-related matters should be central points of reference.

It added that the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) should be part of the investigations.

The committee has also directed the Minister to assess the performance of the department’s Director-General and the Commissioner of the CF.

It has also asked the Minister to present to it in a period of 30 days, a road map regarding how the investigations are going to unfold.

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed the prosecution of four senior Eastern Cape Education Department officials and a businessman on charges of fraud and corruption.

The five are linked to the 2014 procurement of learner/ teacher supplementary resource material worth R59 million from Siegesmund Trust.

They businessman Johannes Smith, former Department head Mthunywa Ngonzo, former Chief Education Specialist Noxolo Gwarube, together with current department officials appeared before the East London Magistrates Court on Monday on charges of corruption, fraud, attempted fraud, theft and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act.

The current Department officials and suspects in the matter are Deputy Director General Raymond Tywakadi (Acting Superintendent-General/head of Department at the time), and IT services Deputy Director Tyronne Fourie also appeared in court.

They were released on R5000 bail each and the matter was postponed to 8 July 2021 for copies of the docket and to allow for Tywakadi’s legal representative to be confirmed.

“The prosecution by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) follows an intensive investigation conducted by the SIU in the Eastern Cape Education Department which uncovered evidence pointing to criminal action and in particular corruption against the five accused,” said the SIU in a statement.

The evidence, as required by the SIU Act, was referred to the NPA and also to the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (Hawks) for further attention.

“The SIU is working closely with the NPA and Hawks in this regard and we will continue to work together to ensure that all role players identified through our investigations in the alleged crimes are held accountable.

“The SIU also made six disciplinary referrals against education department officials, including the Acting Head of Department at the time. The Department confirmed to the SIU that disciplinary action against four officials has commenced,” the Unit said.

In 2015, the SIU was directed in terms of Proclamation R598 of 2015, to investigate the procurement of or contracting for services by the education department and payments that were made in respect thereof.

The SIU investigation uncovered that the goods were procured unlawfully and/or irregularly, in contravention of the provisions of the SCM policy, Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act No.5 of 2000, and section 217(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

The SIU investigation further revealed that the Siegesmund Trust had delivered the resource material as per the terms of the irregular contract which has since been reviewed and set aside.

As result, the SIU calculated the profit earned from the procurement contract and demanded it be paid back. Civil litigation was instituted by the SIU in the Grahamstown High Court to recover the monies.

The trustees of Siegesmund Trust agreed to pay back R3 million in three instalments plus interest and the agreement was made an order of the Grahamstown High Court in March this year.

The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has welcomed the six life terms handed down to a man who murdered his girlfriend and five children.

Zimbabwean national, Nowa Makula aged 32, was sentenced to six life terms in prison by the Elliotdale Magistrates Court for murdering his girlfriend Nomzamo Mhlanti and five children, including a toddler with an axe in their home at Elliotdale in Eastern Cape.

The murders took place in 2020, when the country was commemorating the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign.

Commission’s spokesperson, Javu Baloyi said CGE has been monitoring the case and they are satisfied with the speed in which the verdict was delivered.

“We are aware that cases of gender-based violence (GBV) take long to be completed in the courts, with many others not getting a conviction. The CGE trusts that this sentence will serve as a benchmark in speedily addressing GBV cases.

“As the institution empowered by the Constitution ‘to promote respect for gender equality and the protection, development and attainment of gender equality,’ this places upon the commission, the burden to ensure that our country observes the right of women and children to be protected against gender-based violence,” Baloyi said.

In a statement on Tuesday, the commission reiterated its appeal to both the public and private sector as well as society to take a stand against perpetrators of gender-based violence.

Meanwhile, the commission will, through its outreach and legal programmes, continue to educate and raise awareness.

“We urge members of the public with information about acts of gender-based violence and abuse to call our toll-free number 0800 007 709 to report such cases or contact the nearest office of the Commission of Gender Equality,” Baloyi said.

The Police in Hoopdal, outside Thabazimbi in Limpopo, have arrested five suspects aged between 27 and 44 for allegedly impersonating police officers at the Skierlik village.

Police received a tip-off about the suspects who were masquerading as police officers at a local tavern, one of them were believed to be armed with a firearm and wearing a police reflector jacket.

They swiftly responded and five suspects were cornered and arrested while trying to flee from the scene in a VW Polo.

Police searched the vehicle and confiscated a bullet proof vest, a SAPS summer pair of trousers, two Constable rank structures, a police belt, a 9mm pistol, a magazine, eight rifles, live ammunition, one reflector jacket and a motor vehicle.

The suspects will still be profiled to determine if they were previously involved in any other crimes. The origin of the recovered items will also be revealed by the ongoing police investigations.

The suspects will appear in Thabazimbi Magistrate’s Court today, facing charges of impersonating police officers, possession of unlawful firearm and ammunition, driving under the influence of liquor and possession of suspected stolen properties.

Police investigations are still underway.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI/Hawks) in the Eastern Cape has pounced on four senior officials in the province’s Education Department and a businessperson on fraud, corruption and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) charges.

The five – former chief education specialist Noxolo Valencia Gwarube (50), former education superintendent general Mthunywa Lawrence Ngonzo (58), education deputy director general Monwabisi Raymond Tywakadi (60), education deputy director in information technology (IT) Tyrone Graig Fourie (48) and Hermanus Bouwer Smith(47), director of Siegesmund Trust – were on Monday arrested by the Hawks’ East London Serious Corruption Investigation.

“It is alleged that in 2014, 33 publishers were invited by the Learner Teacher Support Material unit (LTSM) of the Department of Education to showcase their products. It is said that the participants paid exhibition fee to the Border Christian Centre where the exhibition was going to be held,” Hawks spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said in a statement.

She said it was further reported that the Department of Education had intentions of assisting schools by procuring Supplementary Resource Material (SRM) which included IT material like photo copiers and other technology material but not in that financial year.

“The LTSM unit under the control of the Accounting Officer had budgeted only for the procurement of text books. The LTSM unit never applied for virement of funds therefore their action was not known by Eastern Cape Department of Education and Provincial Treasury,” said the Hawks.

The Hawks alleged that the former manager of the Eastern Cape Department of Education at the LTSM unit, Gwarube misrepresented facts to the department that only textbooks would be procured by submitting expenditure approval requests to the acting deputy director for Institutional Operations Management.

“It is further reported that a sum of more than R204 million was approved for the procurement of textbooks. The SRM in the application was misrepresented as textbooks.

“Gwarube is said to have submitted misleading documents to the Internal Control Unit and Supply Chain Management section that the textbooks were to be procured knowing well that she had included SRM to the value of more than R59 million thus reducing the money that was meant for textbooks,” she said.

“It is further alleged that the exhibition fee paid by publishers to the Border Christian Centre was in excess with R120 468-00 and the Centre sought direction from the department as to what to do with the money and Gwarube instructed the Centre to deposit the money into her husband’s account. The centre requested a letter from the department authorizing the transaction. The former Superintendent General Ngozo wrote the letter whereas he was already on suspension at the time.”

It is alleged that Gwarube received gratification from Siegesmund Trust, in the form of two laptops and a cell phone to ensure that the R59 million for SRM was paid promptly into the business account of Smith.

During this orchestration by Gwarube, Tywakadi was the acting Superintendent General as Ngonzo was on suspension. Fourie as the IT Deputy Director was also in office.

The Eastern Cape Department of Education was defrauded cash to the value of R59 million.

All the five accused were on Monday released on R5000 bail each. The case is remanded for the 8 July 2021 for the handing over of copies of the dockets to the defence.

Provincial Hawks head, Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya, lauded the Serious Corruption Investigation team for a breakthrough in a case that appears to have disadvantaged children of the Eastern Cape, and denied them an opportunity to own a textbook “which is a gateway to a better future due to selfish greed”.