Day: September 15, 2022

NELSPRUIT – Police in Mpumalanga have launched an investigation following the fire that engulfed the Municipal building in Bushbuckridge in the early hours of yesterday, 14 September 2022 at around 02:00 am.

According to the information, security guards were on duty when they heard a loud bang coming from the building. Upon their investigation they discovered that 11 office blocks caught fire, 10 Finance offices and one Internal Audit office.

Police and Fire fighters responded to the call and the fire was extinguished whilst police launched an investigation. Some beer bottles that were stuffed with cotton wool inside were also discovered and these items were seized to form part of the investigation. No casualties were reported and the cost of the damage will be revealed as investigation progresses.

Police are urgin anyone with information that can assist in the investigation regarding the cause of fire and the motive behind to contact Detective Captain Evans Mashego at 082 319 9732. Alternatively members of the public can call the Crime Stop number at 08600 10111 or send information via MySAPS App. All information received will be treated as confidential and callers may opt to remain anonymous.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has voiced her concern over the burnt offices. The General further indicated that the incident will have a negative impact on service delivery for people in the area.

Source: South African Police Service

WESTERN CAPE – Continued efforts by Milnerton Crime Prevention Unit to rid the streets of drugs paid off when members arrested two suspects in separate drug busts.

On 15 September 2022, at around 02:00, the members conducted a vehicle checkpoint in Bosmansdam Road. They stopped and searched a vehicle driven by a male and found 21 tablets of mandrax. They expanded the search to his place of residence in Dilita Drive, Sunset Beach where they discovered heroin, tik and cocaine valued at around R800 000-00. The 36-year-old suspect was arrested and he will appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s court once he has been charged.

In another incident, on Wednesday 14 September 2022, at around 01:45, Milnerton Crime Prevention Unit members received information about a 24-year-old, male who is selling drugs at an address in Cosmo Street, Dunoon. They searched the premises and discovered dagga with an estimated street value of R20 000-00. The dagga was confiscated and the suspect was arrested. He will appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s court on Thursday, 15 September 2022.

Source: South African Police Service

NORTHERN CAPE – Sibusiso Kenneth Ngwenya (44) and Muziwokuthula Sizwe Dlamini (45) were found guilty and sentenced by the Richmond Magistrates’ Court for illegal possession and transportation of abalone without permit.

The duo was arrested during August 2019 on the N1 freeway near Richmond. The information was recieved about accused transporting abalone from Cape Town to Johannesburg. The members conducted a disruptive operation then a panel van was identified and stopped. During the search, 24 boxes with abalone were confiscated.

Both accused were sentenced to pay a fine of R20 000-00 each or 12 months imprisonment. They were further sentenced to 12 months imprisonment which is wholly suspended for a period of five years on condition that both accused are not convicted on the same offence.

Source: South African Police Service

KATKOP – Members from the Elliot K9 and Barkly East Mounted units have been deployed in the KatKop area to provide assistance to the stations in the area with several crime prevention endeavours.

On 14 September 2022 at about 04:00, members proceeded to the Katkop area, after they received a request from Maclear Stock Theft Unit to assist them in the recovery of stock that was stolen and kept in the area of KatKop.

On their arrival they again proceeded to Sulenkama locality where stolen stock, 19 cattle, were found abandoned in a small forest.

Upon closer investigation none of the livestock fitted the description circulated by the Stock Theft Unit members who were looking for livestock linked to a Maclear case. Members immediately liaised with Qumbu Stock Theft Unit members, who came to the scene, and identified the stock to be livestock they were looking for in their cases.

During the same day the members also conducted stop and search activities in the same area, when they stopped and searched a white Toyota Avanza.

The driver, aged 40, was found with a firearm on his waist for which he was not able to produce a firearm license for and he was arrested for the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. The 9 mm pistol and ammunition were confiscated.

The acting District Commissioner Brigadier Asogran Naidoo commended the specialized units for the successful contribution to positive arrests. The community in the area must feel our presence and that it is making a positive impact.

Source: South African Police Service

GAUTENG – The Owner of an alleged dodgy scrap yard in Aeroton is amongst five suspects expected to appear in the Booysens Magistrate’s Court today after they were caught in the act of transacting with suspected copper thieves on Wednesday morning.   

Following a tip-off a multidisciplinary operation led by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team, in collaboration with Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD), Crime Intelligence, Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC), Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and City Power pounced on the premises of Pady Metals in Aeroton Johannesburg.  

The intelligence driven operation arose from reports that the said scrap yard was dealing in stolen copper cables. The owner, supplier and employees who are all foreigners aged between 37 and 51, were found in the premises. The resultant search uncovered rolls of copper cables concealed in bags as well as four cell phone tower batteries. All exhibits, value not yet determined, have been seized for further investigation.

Source: South African Police Service

GQEBERHA – A 25-year-old Bethelsdorp woman was sentenced today in the Gqeberha High Court to an effective 25 years imprisonment for the murder of Quinisha Sebrand in Maitlands.

On Monday, 28 March 2022, at about 09:00, the accused fetched the 9-year-old child from her house in Extension 28 in Bethelsdorp to take her for a haircut.  During the day, the accused hitch hiked with the child to Maitlands beach where she was strangled.

At about 21:00, the same evening, the accused, Lesley-Anne Damon went to the satellite police station in Sea View to report her crime. Evidence emerged during the trial was that the murder was as a result of jealousy by the accused as the child’s father and the accused were in a relationship.

The Nelson Mandela Bay District Commissioner, Maj Gen Vuyisile Ncata welcomed the sentencing and commended the investigating officer, Detective Warrant Officer Bertus Blom for ensuring that bail was denied and that the accused remained in custody for the duration of her trial. ‘Children should never experience such insidious forms of violence and it’s very sad when they innocently suffer at the hands of people they trust. It is very painful for a parent to lose a child after raising them and then someone comes and take all that away from you through their own selfish and wicked intentions. Justice has been served on the accused and we applaud the detective officer, Detective Warrant Officer Bertus Blom and the prosecuting authority for such a fitting sentence,’ commented Maj Gen Ncata.

Source: South African Police Service

KWAZULU-NATAL – The Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sentenced Yunus Moolla (61) to 15 years direct imprisonment for multiple charges of fraud, contravention of the Bank Act, contravention of Financial Advisory and Intermediary Service Act as well as money laundering.

During the period of 2013 to 2015, Moolla recruited people to invest in his company called Carmol Distributors. He claimed that his company was dealing in petrol and diesel. Moolla promised investors a monthly profit of 2 to 8 percent. It was discovered that the company was not registered to operate as a financial service institution.

A case of fraud was reported at the Durban North police station and a case docket was allocated to the Durban based Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation for further investigation. Moolla was arrested in 2016 and he appeared in court several times until he was found guilty in November last year.

He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for more than 3700 counts of fraud, five years imprisonment for more than 4000 counts of contravention of Bank Act, five years imprisonment for more than 3700 counts of contravening of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Service Act. The sentence will run concurrently.

Moolla was further sentenced to eight years imprisonment for 11397 counts of money laundering of which three years will run concurrently with ten years of fraud. He will serve 15 years direct imprisonment.

Source: South African Police Service