Local zama kingpins’ assets forfeited
Things are getting hard for some of the alleged organised criminals who previously operated in our community.
Authorities struck hard again against the kingpins of a group of illegal miners operating around our area this week.
According to the spokesperson of the NPA (National Prosecuting Authority) in Gauteng, Lumka Mahanjana, the Pretoria Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) secured three forfeiture orders to the value of R18 million at the Pretoria High Court on 20 March 2024.
The orders were to forfeit numerous properties belonging to Bethuel Ngobeni, Lerato Bathebeng, Poppy Mathongwane, Bongani Khumalo, Dumisani Moyo, Kesitaal Pty Ltd (a company belonging to Moyo), Nhlanhla Leon Magwaca, Neo Susan Duba, Tsepo Dube, Itumeleng Rejoice Magagane, Gloria Kgalalelo Magagane, Mlambo, Nhlanhla Mathebula, Manuel Nhamucho and Thabiso Sechele.
The properties are the proceeds of unlawful activities by a syndicate dealing in unwrought gold in the Khutsong area.
The three final forfeiture orders are for 51 vehicles, seven properties in Khutsong, Carletonville, Potchefstroom, and Krugersdorp, and 16 bank accounts.
The orders emanate from a criminal investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), called Project Gillette, in 2018.
“This action specifically infiltrated a syndicate dealing in unwrought gold. It focused on where syndicate members illegally bought gold-bearing materials (amalgam) from legal mining workers and zama-zamas.
“These people then processed it into gold nuggets and sold it around the Johannesburg area,” says Mahanjana.
The syndicate mainly comprised of foreign nationals from Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Some syndicate members acquired South African identity documents fraudulently.
Mahanjana added that the next step was to sell the properties at a public auction and pay the proceeds into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (Cara). The trial against the nine accused, facing various charges including money laundering and racketeering, starts in the Pretoria High Court on 24 July after being transferred from Oberholzer Magistrate’s Court.
“These forfeiture orders are part of implementing the Asset Forfeiture Unit’s asset recovery strategy to claim the proceeds of criminal activities back to the state. The overall National Anti-Corruption strategy by law enforcement agencies is to strengthen the fight against corruption by pursuing civil and criminal processes to ensure impunity is no longer a given,” Mahanjana concluded.
