Johannesburg - Sex ring kingpin Gerhard Ackerman, accused of more than 740 counts of crime, including rape, attempted murder, the production and distribution of child pornography, and human trafficking, has been rearrested by the police following his no-show at his court case on Thursday.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in the Gauteng Local Division, Advocate Andrew Chauke, has subsequently extended his gratitude to the media and public for their vigilance, which he said led to Ackermen’s arrest on Saturday after a warrant of arrest was issued by the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Local Division, on the weekend.
"The role played by the South African media in his apprehension must be applauded as the images circulated by the media led to members of the public spotting Ackerman in Florida, in the west of Johannesburg. They immediately arrested him and called the local South African Police Service (SAPS) officials, who acted swiftly to effect the warrant of arrest," Chauke said.
"Ackerman failed to appear in court on Thursday, January 26, and his non-compliance with the order of the court to furnish the state with a medical certificate by Friday, January 27, 2023, and his disappearance from his place of residence without any notification to the investigating officer prompted the NPA to approach the above-mentioned court with an urgent application to revoke his bail."
"Ackerman faces 740 charges ranging from rape, attempted murder, distribution of child porn, and human trafficking of minor children for sexual exploitation," Chauke added today.
Ahead of his arrest, NPA spokesperson Phindi Louw-Mjonondwane said an investigating team was dispatched to Ackerman’s house to investigate the matter after Ackerman failed to appear in court.
"The investigation team, comprised of Captain Banks and Warrant Officer Pelser, acted swiftly and visited his place of residence after realising that the accused had become unreachable."
"On arrival, they found that the accused had moved out and sold all his movable assets ... which is a contravention of the bail conditions. He was granted R6 000 bail by the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court in 2021 on the conditions that he report to the nearest police station on a daily basis; he is not allowed to leave Gauteng without permission from the investigating officer; and he is not allowed to be in possession of a laptop or cellphone to access the internet," Mjonondwane said.
On Thursday, Ackerman’s lawyer, advocate Herman Alberts, told the court that his client is currently sick and, thus, could not make the court appearance.
According to advocate Alberts, Ackerman was suffering from food poisoning and would be seeing a doctor later on Thursday, who would then advise on the severity of his condition.
"Unfortunately, I received a voice note from my client informing me that he has had food poisoning. He told me that he is unable to get out of bed as he is very ill and very weak, and will therefore go to the doctor today. I also advised him that he must get a medical report with the date," his lawyer told the court.
The Star