Johannesburg - A special police task force is pulling a tight net around Radovan Krejcir, with more than 100 cases against the Czech fugitive already at an advanced stage.
Police spokesman Lieutenant-General Solomon Makgale told The Star that two years ago, national police commissioner General Riah Phiyega set up a specialist team to probe all the Krejcir cases.
Makgale said the work conducted by the team in such a short time “is nothing short of phenomenal”.
“It takes many sleepless nights to uncover a great deal of evidence like this. The risk involved to their personal security is massive, but that did not deter them,” Makgale explained.
Aside from four cases for which Krejcir has appeared in court, police have said there are more than 100 inquiries, including:
* More than 20 murder cases.
* Fifteen cases involving drug trafficking.
* Five cases of robberies involving Krugerrands.
* Thirty cases of house and business robberies.
* Fifteen fraud cases and many hijacking cases.
And they all centre on Krejcir as the main suspect.
On Friday, Krejcir appeared in the Germiston Magistrate’s Court with Nkanyiso Mafunda, Siboniso Miya and Siphiwe Memela over the murder of Bassam “Sam” Issa, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2013.
Krejcir and all his co-accused in the Issa case have also been charged with a conspiracy to murder case last year, where they were allegedly planning to take out crime intelligence investigator Colonel Nkosana “Killer” Ximba and forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan.
Krejcir’s attorney, Piet du Plessis, said on Sunday that Krejcir denied committing any crime, and aside from the cases he was facing in court, everything was rumours and speculation. The police must bring the proof, he added.
Krejcir's name has also been linked to strip club owner Lolly Jackson’s murder.
Police have also said there is evidence linking Krejcir to the murders of Cyril Beeka, who was gunned down in Cape Town in 2012, and German billionaire Uwe Gemballa.
The investigators said Krejcir’s nickname in the underworld was “Baas John”, Miya was known as “Zulu Boy” and Memela as “Baba ka Jesu”, Zulu for Jesus’ father.
Baba ka Jesu is allegedly a hitman from KwaZulu-Natal, well known in the taxi industry.
The specialist police team found in their probes of Issa’s murder that Krejcir allegedly had Issa killed because the Czech owed Issa money, estimated at millions of rand. Issa apparently paid Krejcir’s bail money of R500 000 when he was arrested by the Hawks a few years ago.
Issa, who was also known as “The Cripple” or “Black Sam” in the underworld, was 51 when he died in a drive-by shooting in Bedfordview on October 12, 2013. He was shot when he stopped at a traffic light and was about to cross the intersection, when another vehicle stopped next to him and the killers opened fire. Thirty-three bullets were pumped into his Audi Q7.
Investigations showed that Issa was an international drug trafficker and that he was said to be “p***ed off” that Krejcir had not paid him the money back.
“So Issa planned to kill Baas John,” said one of the investigators, who confirmed that Issa had plotted to shoot Krejcir in 2013 outside Krejcir’s Moneypoint business in Bedfordview. But unfortunately for Issa, Krejcir found out about the plot and acted swiftly.
Issa allegedly worked with people from the Western Cape who sought revenge for the murder of Beeka, who was also said to be involved in trafficking drugs.
When police caught the men who were allegedly about to kill Ximba and O’Sullivan, two firearms were recovered from the scene: an R5 assault weapon and a 7.65mm pistol. Both weapons had been stolen during house robberies – one in Bedfordview and the other in Roodepoort.
Mafunda and Memela were not arrested that day, and they fled to KwaZulu-Natal, where police tracked them down. An AK-47 assault rifle and a 9mm pistol were recovered. The AK-47 was positively linked to the murder of Issa. A cartridge found at the scene of Issa’s murder and a projectile found in his body were linked to the firearm.
Krejcir is in court again on Mondayon kidnapping, drug dealing and attempted murder charges.
The Star