The National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (NPA AFU) has confirmed that it has successfully obtained three orders granting the unit permission to seize assets worth some R18 million from alleged illegal mining kingpins.
The NPA said the order was granted in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to seize 16 bank accounts, 51 vehicles and seven properties from several suspects.
The matter involves six alleged illegal mining kingpins who were arrested on the West Rand, Johannesburg, in October 2022.
The six suspected illegal mining kingpins are identified as Bethuel Ngobeni, Dumisa Moyo, Nhlanhla Magwaca, Moseki Sechele, Thabo Sechele and Khudzai Mashaya who made their first appearance at the Oberholzer Magistrate’s Court on October 19, 2022.
In 2023, three more female suspects, reported to be the suspects’ spouses, were added to the case, taking the number to nine.
Following the preservation order against their assets, NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the items were “the proceeds of unlawful activities of a syndicate dealing in unwrought gold in Khutsong area” in Carletonville.
“This emanates from a criminal investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) registered project Gillette in 2018, with the specific purpose of infiltrating a syndicate which dealt in unwrought gold where they illegally buy gold-bearing materials from legal mining workers and illegally from zama-zamas (illegal miners).”
Mahanjana said the suspects were known to have processed gold nuggets.
“They then process it into gold nuggets and sell it around the Johannesburg area, but the main buyers are unknown at this moment. The syndicate is mainly composed of foreign nationals from Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Some members of the syndicate acquired South African identity documents fraudulently,” she said.
The NPA has indicated that the seized properties and items were expected to be sold at public auction, with the proceeds going into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account.
“The trial against the nine accused who are facing various charges, including money laundering and racketeering, is set to start on 24 July 2024 at the Pretoria High Court after it was transferred from (the) Oberholzer Magistrate’s Court.
“These forfeiture orders are part of the implementation of 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 both civil and criminal processes to ensure that impunity is no longer a given,” Mahanjana said.
The Star