Number plates at heart of Jaca case

Former Tshwane Metro Police Deputy Chief Ndumiso Jaca. Photo: Phill Magakoe

Former Tshwane Metro Police Deputy Chief Ndumiso Jaca. Photo: Phill Magakoe

Published Nov 27, 2015

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Pretoria - The possibility of multiple vehicles having one number plate was at the heart of Ndumiso Jaca’s court case on Thursday.

Jaca, the former Tshwane Metro Police deputy chief, appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on 11 charges which include fraud, driving a vehicle with false number plates and the illegal use of blue lights.

He is accused of using illegal number plates - Balty GP - while driving his BMW Z4. He allegedly used the same illegal plates on a Harley Davidson motorbike.

Jaca’s lawyer, André Steenkamp, put it to State witness Phuti Chauke, a senior superintendent at the metro police, that it was possible for multiple cars to have one number plate.

Chauke said it was not possible but Steenkamp said a garage plate special permit allowed for motor dealers to issue multiple cars with the same number plate, which belonged to the motor dealer.

Chauke said the motor dealer issued these garage plates but only for the car to go from point A to point B, such as for delivery purposes, but that was it.

He was called as a witness because of an e-mail he sent in October 2010.

He said he replied to an e-mail his manager had written and in it Chauke mentioned that Jaca was driving an unregistered vehicle.

He said he had even driven in the car with Jaca in 2010.

Steenkamp produced a document showing that Jaca had his car registered in September 2011. He said it showed that it was impossible for Jaca to have had Balty GP as a number plate in 2010.

Chauke countered that another document submitted to the court indicated that the vehicle in question was first registered in May 2005 but deregistered in February 2008.

“Meaning that this car was scrapped, meaning that it was no longer in existence. In a nutshell it means it was deregistered until September 2011,” Chauke said.

Steenkamp was unable to finish his cross examination of Chauke and the case was postponed to December 7.

A second witness who was meant to testify on Thursday was told to return on February 22.

This is the latest in a string of delays the case has seen in the past four years.

Outside court, Jaca expressed his disappointment in another delay in his case.

“It is what I have come to expect in my case. Yesterday (Wednesday) we were told we would have the whole day to hear my trial but nothing was done. Today we could not even finish the testimony of one witness,” Jaca said.

The city's former metro police deputy chief Ndumiso Jaca leaving the Pretoria Magistrate's Court.Picture: Phill Magakoe

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