Alleged fake cops in court
FOUR suspects, believed to be members of a nationwide syndicate and who have been accused of posing as members of the SAPS in order to extort money, made a brief appearance in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Friday afternoon.
The police have also requested the public’s assistance in tracing additional suspects in connection with the alleged offences.
“On Thursday, we arrested four suspects, including a pastor from a local church in Modderrivier, who allegedly impersonated a traffic official in order to solicit bribes from unsuspecting members of the community, “said Northern Cape police spokesperson, Captain Olebogeng Tawana.
“One of the suspects pretended to be a tender official from Transnet. In the process, he would take money from unsuspecting people while promising them tenders.”
Shortly before court adjourned for the long weekend, Trevor Mohapi, 33, Andrew George, 39, Maria Martins, 53, and Jonas Riet, 50, made their first appearance before Magistrate Lance Roach on several charges, including kidnapping, fraud, theft, impersonating a police official and extortion.
While the State did not oppose a conditional bail of R1 000 for Martins, her co-accused will only be able to make a formal bail application this Friday.
The four will then see their trial commence at the end of October in order to allow time for further investigation. Part of this investigation will include efforts to trace an additional six suspects, including a member of the SAPS, who were arrested in Bloemfontein on similar charges last month, but the matter was removed from the court roll.
Police in the Free State have confirmed that the specifics regarding how and why the six were allowed to be released are the subject of an internal investigation.
Media reports, however, stated that the six suspects were allowed to leave after an excessive delay between their arrests and first court appearance.
Prior to the first appearance of Mohapi, George, Martins and Riet on Friday, members of the provincial SAPS anti-corruption unit released a picture of five of the six suspects who were released in Bloemfontein and who are wanted in connection with a spate of crimes countrywide.
The five suspects, pictured wearing shirts with the phrase “We Run This City” on their chests, are Jan van der Westhuizen, Andre Pillay, Frank Mangaliso, Wouter Viljoen and James Chimboyo.
The syndicate has also been linked to crimes in Jan Kempdorp, Klerksdorp, Upington, Cape Town and Vereeniging.
In a related incident, according to Tawana, an additional two suspects, including a traffic officer, were arrested in Jan Kempdorp last week.
“It is believed that both suspects accosted motorists with traffic fines and took money as if they are going to pay traffic fines,” Tawana said. “The traffic officer was released on bail after appearing briefly in the Jan Kempdorp Magistrate’s Court.”