MAKHADO – On December 12 last year Makhado Review broke the story of an alleged illegal gambling operation in Makhado; masquerading as an internet café.
On the same day that the story appeared in Makhado Review, police raided the shop and arrested nine people.
According to Makhado police station commander, Col Fransisco Ramovha, police investigations showed that the shop was indeed a casino. “On December 12 we went to the casino and arrested nine people for illegal gambling. Zonica Naudé (19), Jacques Jansen van Vuuren (19) and Lorraine Ndivhuwo Sadiki (28), who worked there, were also arrested,” he said.
The suspects appeared in the Makhado magistrate’s court on December 13 and were released bail of R1 000 each.
On January 17 Naudé, Jansen van Vuuren and Sadiki appeared in court again.
Prosecutor Bethuel Makhado says he provisionally withdrew the case until the owner of the alleged illegal gambling operation could be traced. He says the three accused are not the owners of the operation. “We do not have the owner yet and therefore we cannot prosecute. I have written in the files that the owner of this illegal gambling operation needs to be traced.
“According to the people who appeared on Friday January 17 they were not the owners. They said they were only employees working at the gambling operation,” said Makhado.
