MBOMBELA – Police informant gave a shocking testimony about how he had bust a police captain and his current investigating officer, buying a rhino horn. This unfolded when police informant Mr Selby Khoza (39) testified in his bail application in the Nelspruit regional court on Friday.
Khoza, Mr Sizwe Leonard Malatjie (34), Mr Gideon Mtshali (51) and Mr Veli Williams Zwane (43) are accused of the theft of 112 rhino horns out of the offices of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) in April.
Defence Adv Mr Pieter Naude questioned Khoza about an operation he had taken part of with police in 2011.
‘We were supposed to arrest a man from Maputo who was selling rhino horn, ‘said Khoza.
When Naude asked Khoza who had been with him, he said Const Duduzi Mothubadse (who is the current investigating officer in MTPA case).
Khoza said the two in charge of the operation were Capt Manie van Zyl and Piet Zeeman, although he couldn’t remember his rank.
‘We went to Nkomazi and upon our arrival, the person who wanted to sell the horn phoned me, we then made arrangements to meet behind a complex. We met him there and he opened the bag and showed us the horn.’
According to Khoza, he then stalled the man for time by telling him he was waiting for money. ‘He told me its fine, I must just call him again. That is when Mothubadse said I must wait as he said his colleague has money and we can sell it for ourselves.’
Khoza said Mothubadse then phoned a captain Xabase who confirmed the deal.
‘I called Jasper Atkinson my handler and informed him of this plan, he informed Capt van Zyl who said I must agree to do what the policeman is telling me to do.’
‘The following day, we arranged the Maputo man and the Capt Xabase have a sale of R30000 for the horn. The deal went through and I then called Jasper and van Zyl and gave them the captains registration number and make of vehicle.’
Khoza said the captain was arrested but afterwards Mothubadse had phoned him asking him if he had informed the police. ‘I told him I knew nothing. The investigation is still ongoing.’
Naude asked him what kind of relationship did he have with the investigating officer now, he replied ‘We do not have a good relationship.’
Khoza also claimed he had also being instructed to find out information about Mtshali (also a police informant), as after the horns were stolen from the office, he had heard his house had been burgled and he had been assaulted by suspects looking for the rhino horns.
‘I had told Mtshali previously in a conversation that I had never seen so many tusks and horns as I did that day in the safe.’
Khoza said he failed to get information from Mtshali but had told Jasper he believed he was part of the theft as his answers to his questions had been vague.
Bail hearing was postponed until August 1.
