Category: Crime & Corruption News

President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is working towards ensuring that there is a model, gender-based violence one-stop centre in all areas that have been identified as hotspots.

The President said this when he responded to oral questions from Members of Parliament in the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday afternoon.

“We are focused on efforts to ensure that there is a model GBV one-stop centre in each of the identified 30 hotspot areas. These centres provide multidisciplinary services such psychological and health support.

“They also provide investigation and prosecution but more than that, they also are becoming places of assistance at an economic level for women and help with housing problems as well,” he said.

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has allocated several properties around the country for use as shelters of safety for victims of gender-based violence.

There are four in Tshwane, six in the Western Cape and two in Johannesburg.

Additional properties are being assessed in other areas, the President said.

“We are therefore working to expand the Khuseleka one-stop centres in the first phase in Cape Town, Sol Plaatjie Municipality, eThekwini, Mangaung, Ehlanzeni, Tshwane and Johannesburg.

“In the second phase, we will identify buildings in the Eastern Cape, North West and Limpopo to enhance the existing Khuseleka shelters.”

The Khuseleka One-Stop Centres, which will be open 24 hours a day, provide services such as trauma counselling and psychological support, healthcare, police services, legal assistance and shelter for victims of abuse.

The name ”Khuseleka” is derived from the Zulu word which means protection.

The President said as the safe shelters are being expanded, government has developed the Victim Support Services Bill to enhance legislation to focus on victims of crime and violence.

The draft Bill has gone out for public comment and the Department of Social Development is consolidating the inputs received from the public.

“The Bill is victims-centred and touches on the importance of state-owned properties and the accreditation of providers of sheltering services. This in many ways will ensure that service providers are qualified to provide professional services to survivors,” he said.

COVID-19

“As part of our response to the Coronavirus pandemic, each Minister and Deputy Minister has been allocated to a district to champion the implementation of the COVID-19 prevention and management strategies and to support programmes to end gender-based violence.

“As part of this, each municipality is called on to develop and support community capacity to deliver gender-based violence prevention interventions.

“This should be implemented through training community level activists as well as volunteers and GBV services organisations to roll-out prevention programmes.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa says R900 million is to be spent to fund a PRASA Security Plan to combat theft and vandalism.

He said this when he responded to oral questions at the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday.

“As we mobilise resources for a substantial investment in commuter rail infrastructure as part of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, we are taking decisive measures to improve security on these lines.

“The National Treasury has granted approval of R900 million for the implementation of the PRASA Security Plan to combat theft and vandalism of the rail infrastructure.

“Part of the plan is to immediately appoint security personnel and to deploy remotely piloted aircraft systems to conduct virtual patrols of high-risk infrastructure. This capability will work together with specialised investigations and armed response,” he said.

The President’s remarks come at the back of continuous damage, sabotage, theft and vandalism of rail infrastructure, which he described as one of the worst forms of economic crime in the country.

Briefing members of the NCOP, the President said these acts have a direct impact on the lives of the millions of South Africans who rely on commuter rail services to travel to work or to study.

He said it also undermines economic growth and places a further strain on public resources.

“The plan will also involve the creation of an internal security capability for armed response, control room operations and increasing the number of physical security officials.”

He said this work has already commenced.

As part of this, an e-guarding solution will be introduced for the protection of mission critical assets -such as substations, relay rooms and communication sites – with early warning security technology and defensive security systems.

He said the plan will also introduce specialised investigations with legal support and access to criminal laboratories.

“We believe this capability will improve the quality of investigation reports leading to an improved prosecution rate.

“As we substantially improve security measures on the commuter rail network, our most effective defence against such crimes is the vigilance of rail users and their active involvement in the effort to protect this vital national resource.

“We call on all South Africans to take a stand against these types of crime, and be part of the effort to build a public transport that is safe, reliable and affordable.”

Two station commanders are expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrates Court today for their alleged involvement in fraud, defeating the administration of justice and contravention of the Firearms Control Act in multiple case dockets in Gauteng.

The Western Cape Anti-Gang Unit, assisted by the National Anti-Corruption Unit, arrested the Brigadiers during an intelligence-driven operation on Tuesday.

According to police spokesperson, Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo, this brings the total number of people arrested in connection with these cases to 28 this year.

Of the 28 suspects, 17 are police officers (with two being retired), while 11 are civilians, Naidoo explained.

“The investigations started three years ago when it emerged that during November 2017, security companies were involved in crimes of extortion in the Western Cape province relating to firearm applications in Gauteng.

“In January 2018, it was found that several other people, family and friends in Cape Town obtained their competency and licences to possess firearms, as well as temporary authorisation to possess firearms, in an allegedly fraudulent manner,” Naidoo said.

The investigations revealed that the applicants all made applications in Gauteng, particularly at Edenvale, Norwood and Kempton Park police stations.

“Information was received that the applicants would go to a gun shop in Kempton Park, where they would do a proficiency test to make an application for competency to possess a firearm and ammunition,” said Naidoo.

The National Commissioner of Police, General Khehla Sitole, has applauded the perseverance of the team in this investigation.

“We are systematically identifying and rooting out corruption and corrupt members from the SAPS,” Sitole reiterated.

While he is hopeful that criminality within the South African Police Service (SAPS) will be eradicated speedily, Sitole acknowledged that investigation processes usually take time to be executed efficiently.

“The most effective way of dealing with corruption is to prevent it and to do this, I am again urging both members of the SAPS as well as the community at large to refrain from engaging in such activities because you will be caught,” Sitole said.

He appealed to anyone, who may have any information on the crime, to contact SAPS on the Crime Stop number 086 00 10111.

Information can be sent via the MySAPSApp, an app that can be downloaded form Play Store or any Android handset.

“All information will be treated with the strictest confidence and informers may remain anonymous,” said Sitole.

Exactly six years to the day that former Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper, Senzo Meyiwa, was shot dead, five suspects have been arrested for his murder.

The breakthrough was announced by Police Minister Bheki Cele on Monday. The five are expected to appear before the Boksburg Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The goal-minder was gunned down on 26 October 2014 at the home of his girlfriend and musician Kelly Khumalo in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, in what was believed to have been a house robbery gone wrong.

Since then, the Meyiwa family and South Africans at large have demanded justice for this brutal murder.

Addressing journalists, Cele said the five suspects were arrested on Monday between 8am and 10am in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

“These arrests are as a result of a multi-disciplinary integrated approach to this investigation, which is working closely with the Directorate for Public Prosecutions,” said the Minister.

Despite heavy criticism from some quarters, Cele has always maintained he was satisfied that the murder investigation was progressing well.

“I have on numerous occasions also expressed my confidence that those suspected of this crime will be found and brought to book,” said the Minister.

The arrests have emerged as a success of the cold case team that was established by the National Police Commissioner in 2018. The team was in response to many calls on various criminal cases, which have not been successfully investigated.

“The unit has worked tirelessly on this case,” said the Minister.

The Minister also used the briefing to condemn media leaks, saying he strongly believes that information may have been leaked in an attempt to derail the investigations.

“This is why moving forward, the investigation team will be considering opening a case or cases of defeating the ends of justice to ensure such leaks never occur again,” said Cele.

The Minister said the SAPS and the prosecution team have expressed confidence that they have a watertight case against all five suspects.

“At this point, we cannot reveal any further information, as investigations are still ongoing and more arrests cannot be ruled out,” he said.

Sitole said of the five suspects, one of them is suspected to have pulled the trigger.

“This process is backed up by forensic evidence connecting the suspect to the scene, as well as the weapon suspected to have been used,” he said.

The Commissioner expressed appreciation to the National Prosecuting Authority, saying there had been “excellent collaboration”.

Two traffic officers, who allegedly demanded a bribe of R5 000, from a truck driver, are expected to appear in the Temba Magistrate Court today.

The traffic officers were arrested by the National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit and the Hawks during a sting operation.

Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) spokesperson, Simon Zwane, said the officers allegedly stopped a truck on the R101 last Tuesday and impounded it for unspecified reasons.

“They demanded a payment of R5 000 for the release of the vehicle. An arrangement was made for the money to be delivered to the suspects at Makapanstad traffic offices,” Zwane said.

The incident was reported to the members of National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit, who then set up a sting operation with the assistance of the Hawks.

“The suspects were arrested soon after receiving the money and have been held at Makapanstad police station. They are scheduled to appear at the Temba Magistrate Court on Monday,” Zwane said.

Mpumalanga administration clerks dismissed

Meanwhile, two administration clerks at Lekwa Licensing Authority in Standerton, Mpumalanga, have been dismissed following an internal disciplinary hearing that found them guilty of gross dishonesty and fraud.

Sandy Freddah Manana and Llody Mildred Townsend were dismissed for misrepresenting information on the eNatis system by unlawfully changing the particulars of a vehicle owner to a bogus dealership, to evade payment of full licensing fees that were due to the licensing authority.

Zwane said the State lost an estimated R4 million in revenue from these transactions.

“It is, however, believed that fraud and corruption at Lekwa Licensing Authority cost the State more than R50 million in unpaid fees and penalties,” Zwane said.

Manana and Townsend are still on trial at the Middelburg Magistrate Court on similar charges.

“They are part of eight officials who were arrested at the licensing authority in August last year. They are expected to appear in court on 11 December 2020,” Zwane said.

Law enforcement agencies, accompanied by Police Minister Bheki Cele, on Sunday morning shutdown a Johannesburg club violating various COVID-19 lockdown regulations.

In videos posted on Twitter by Police Ministry spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, and Gauteng Provincial Government accounts, dozens of patrons were ordered to leave the venue, just after midnight.

Despite being on curfew from midnight until 4am, it is alleged that the club, identified as “Backdoor”, was still trading in the early hours of Sunday.

Beyond this, the club was allegedly packed to capacity, patrons were not wearing face masks and social distancing was not observed.

Addressing reporters, Cele said: “By law, clubs are not open, that is what the regulations say at the present moment. [We received information] and our information was correct.

“We came to this place [it’s called Backdoor], and there were over 300 people not wearing masks or social distancing. [They’re] breaking the law… Besides breaking the COVID-19 laws, people are breaking the real law by being here after curfew…”

Themba said 58 965 millilitres of liquor, valued at R800 000, were seized from the club.

“The manager was arrested and detained at Sandton SAPS for operating a business without a liquor licence and running the club during level one lockdown,” she said.

In a series of tweets, Gauteng Community Safety and Liaison MEC, Faith Mazibuko, who was also at the raid, on Monday thanked the public for alerting authorities.

“To all those who tirelessly send us information on places that need law enforcement attention, we have heard your cries in areas such as Sunnyside, Hillbrow, Kempton Park, Rosettenville and Windsor etc,” she said.

Mazibuko said law enforcement agencies are working hard to deal with crime throughout the province of Gauteng.

“We acknowledge that more needs to be done to deal with crime, including in those areas. We are acting and results should show soon.

“We are not oblivious to the fact that greater focus is needed in finding solutions to end GBVF [gender-based violence and femicide] and crimes against vulnerable persons in our communities.

“GBV Brigades are part of our response and more initiatives are being implemented, working with law enforcement.”

Mazibuko said working with the Department of Home Affairs, law enforcement is dealing with illegal immigrants.

“SAPS and IPID [Independent Police Investigative Directorate] are dealing with corrupt officers. We can only win the fight against crime when we work together.

“Creating a safer Gauteng requires communities to play their part,” she said.

Labour and Employment Minister, Thulas Nxesi, says 11 people have been arrested as the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) intensified its probe to nab those accused of benefiting from illegal UIF COVID-19 TERS payments.

Making a statement on Tuesday to the National Assembly on the illegal disbursements of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) COVID-19 benefit, Nxesi said following the probe by the Auditor-General, systems are being tightened at the UIF and headway is being made to root out corruption.

The AG is auditing a wide-ranging number of irregular payments and allegations that benefits were withheld from rightful beneficiaries.

“I would like to confirm that the UIF COVID-19 TERS [Temporary Employee Relief Scheme] benefit is implemented, as it was intended, to cushion employees who have been temporarily laid off, and the money of workers is managed and disbursed properly, as required.

“The Auditor-General findings have been acted on and are ongoing.

“Fraud and corruption are being dealt with decisively, and corruption is being rooted out,” said Nxesi.

The Auditor-General is currently auditing all payments made from April to June 2020. These new controls were fully implemented only on 21 September 2020.

Progress on the SIU investigation

Nxesi said the SIU’s investigation is aimed at identifying and charging individuals who benefited from illegal payments, and to recover the money.

“In some cases, bank accounts have been frozen and assets seized. People have been charged and arrested.”

Nxesi said R3.5 billion of wrongful payments have already been recouped.

He thanked the many honest and responsible employers who returned overpayments after realising a mistake had been made, where benefits were calculated on the basis of incorrect information.

“As I mentioned earlier, the UIF has also commenced its own programme to ‘Follow the Money’, tracking every payment made.

“Eight audit and forensic audit companies have been appointed nationally to fast-track the process.”

Nxesi said 157 cases have been allocated for investigation, falling into the following categories:

–       Employer withholding or underpaying employees’ benefits (38 cases).

–       Employer using incorrect UIF reference number (4 cases).

–       Overpayment of UIF benefits to employers (1 case).

–       Individuals’ claims blocking companies’ claims (10 cases).

–       Incorrect banking details (8 cases).

Nxesi said there are 90 cases of suspected fraudulent claims, including claiming on behalf of ghost employees, work and draw benefits (company claiming while it was fully functional), company claiming for terminated employees and the collusion between employer and employee to lodge fraudulent claims.

Nxesi said 67 cases have been finalised, with 90 cases still pending. He said three cases have been instituted by complainants, while the UIF has instituted 75 criminal cases. Out of these, 11 people have been arrested while 10 have already appeared before the court.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, has assigned a team of environmentalists to work with Transnet after a pipeline theft incident resulted in the spillage of crude oil in the Bellair Area in Durban.

“As the department, we wish to indicate that at this stage, we are working with all role players to implement spill containment measures to prevent damage to the environment,” Dube-Ncube said on Tuesday.

The MEC has undertaken to visit Umbilo River and all other affected areas in Bellair to assess the damage to the environment.

“I will ensure that all spheres of government work in an integrated manner in order to strengthen measures undertaken by Transnet as part of cleaning and rehabilitating the source of the spillage and the harbour.

“Critically, we are calling upon communities to work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that those who are responsible for vandalising Transnet pipelines are brought to book,” the MEC said.

Transnet has recorded over 80 incidents of fuel theft and incidents of attempted theft. They have also recorded cases of tampering with pipeline infrastructure with the intention to steal fuel.

“As it has been pointed out in various platforms, Transnet operates and maintains a network of 3 800 km of high-pressure petroleum and gas pipelines from Durban to Gauteng across five provinces.

“We have a responsibility as the people of this province to ensure that we protect this valuable infrastructure, which is critical for our economy,” Dube-Ncube said.

Mpumalanga police have launched a manhunt following the discovery of an 80-year-old woman’s body stashed in a freezer in Pankop, near Mmamethlake.

According to Colonel Donald Mdhluli, the preliminary investigation suggests that the victim was staying with her 10-year-old grandson and a caregiver from Lesotho.

The woman had been hired by the family to look after the elderly woman.

“On Monday, the young boy came back from school, only to find that there was nobody at home.

“He realised that the door to the house was wide open but the burglar door was locked. He then began to ask neighbours of the whereabouts of his granny and the caregiver,” said Mdhluli.

The neighbours tried to assist in the search, while other family members were informed about the matter.

However, the neighbours became suspicious when they noticed a coffee table, gas stove and a TV set placed on top of the freezer during their quest to find the grandmother.

“They then removed the items and discovered the lifeless body of the elderly woman inside the freezer,” said Mdhluli.

The police and medical personnel were called to the scene, where the victim was certified dead. A case of murder has since been opened.

Mdhluli said they are now looking for a woman known as MmaThato, as they believe that she can assist immensely in the investigation.

Members of the public, who know her whereabouts, are also urged to contact Detective Captain Solomon Moshime at 082 065 1355 or call the Crime Stop number on 08600 10111. Alternatively, a tip-off can be given on the MySAPSApp.

All information will be treated as confidential and callers may opt to remain anonymous.

Mdhluli said a similar incident occurred recently, where a caregiver assaulted a 91-year-old woman at Valbank, a few kilometres from Mmamethlake.

“After the incident, the 45-year-old suspect fled the scene and the matter was brought to the attention of the police, who opened a case of assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.”

The suspect, who is allegedly from Lesotho, was subsequently arrested in Pretoria.

She is expected to appear in the Mbibana Magistrate’s Court on Friday, where she is expected to apply for bail.

“The police have strongly condemned the incident, as well as the vicious attack on senior citizens because these incidents once again depict serious moral decay in the society,” Mdhluli said.

Members of Parliament have heard how R44.4 million was channelled from Eskom’s contractors, through sub-contracted companies, to four Eskom officials in a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe, which has led to four arrests.

Briefing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts on Wednesday, the SIU told MPs that suspicious payments by four contractors were picked up by investigators, and unlawful payments that were traced to four Eskom officials pointed to evidence of fraud, money laundering and corruption.

The suspicious payments, totalling R136 million, were paid by the four contractors to two sub-contractors, who in turn paid R44.4 million to the four Eskom employees.

Said SIU head Advocate Andy Mothibi: “We are really heartened to see these kinds of outcomes. We believe that if all of these are actioned as we intend to, we will send the appropriate message.

“We will send a message that [will deter] those who may still be… planning to do nefarious acts, and we would like to root those out.”

He said while some Eskom officials resigned after they were red-flagged for various corrupt activities, including being found to be doing business with the State, some will be referred to the National Prosecuting Authority in instances where further evidence of crime is found.

About 34 executives red-flagged following Eskom’s lifestyle audits 

Briefing MPs ahead of Mothibi’s remarks, the SIU lead investigator at Eskom, Claudia O’Brien, said after conducting lifestyle audits, Eskom red-flagged and referred 34 officials to the SIU for further investigation.

“So far, we have referred eight of these officials for disciplinary proceedings and seven officials have resigned. In the appropriate instances, we will still proceed with referrals to the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority], while 19 investigations are still ongoing.”

O’Brien said the SIU has identified 324 Eskom officials, who are linked to entities that are Eskom vendors. She said 135 of these were found to have conducted business with Eskom, to the value of at least R6 billion.

“…We have made 5 512 referrals to Eskom to institute disciplinary proceedings.

“Sixty of these referrals are in respect of officials, who are either doing business with Eskom or who failed to declare their interests in outside business entities.”

O’Brien said seven cases have been referred to the NPA for officials found to be doing business with Eskom, while eight are in the process of being prepared for referral.