The National Commissioner of Police, General Khehla John Sitole has commended the arrests of five suspects accused of stealing an estimated R4 million from companies rendering cash related services and the successful recovery of over R1.5 million of the stolen cash.
The arrests emanate from the close working collaboration between law enforcement officers including the police and the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) that resulted in the arrest of five suspect in two separate theft incidents.
In the first incident a security guard working for a cash delivery security company is alleged to have disappeared with a large amount of cash that was collected at a certain bank on the 30th of April 2018.
The company reported the alleged theft at the Hillbrow Police Station and the case was transferred to Provincial Investigating Unit (PIU) for investigation. The investigation team worked tirelessly to trace the suspects and on 17 May 2018, arrested Zenzele Nicho Khanyile at Doornfontein in Johannesburg. The team then proceeded to Nkandla in KwaZulu Natal where they recovered over R200 000 as well as the American dollars estimated at R500 000 which were also part of the stolen cash. The suspect was arrested and appeared at the Hillbrow Magistrates’ Court on 21 May 2018 facing a charge of theft of money. He was remanded in custody until his next appearance on 29 May 2018.
In another incident two employees of another cash delivery security company the driver – Clement Matjoji and crew – Mbangiseni Rapholo, are alleged to have collected cash from their various clients on 7 May 2018. The duo then went back to their depot without that the collected money. The company then opened a case of theft of money estimated at R4.6 million at the Germiston Police Station. This case was also transferred to PIU for investigation. The detectives worked in collaboration with the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department, taking an integrated approach in the fight against cash related crimes.
The Team’s hard work and persistence paid off when both Matjoji and Rapholo were arrested for the theft of their company’s money. They have already appeared at the Germiston Magistrates’ Court and their case was remanded to today, 23 May 2018.
The Team then intensified their investigation to find the alleged stolen cash. Their intelligence led them to a house in Tsakane township in Ekurhuleni resulting in the arrest of two suspects and recovering a huge stash of cash estimated at R1.5 million at, on the 22nd of May 2018. The house belongs to a relative of Rapholo (the brother). He and another family member were arrested are likely facing a charge of possession of suspected stolen money. The duo will appear in the Germiston Magistrates’ Court on 24 May 2018.
The National Commissioner has welcomed the arrests and reiterated the importance of law enforcement agencies concentrating their efforts to work in collaboration to better enhance an integrated approach to fighting crime and reclaiming the streets of our country. “The collaboration of our resources in order to fight against this scourge of bank related crimes that threaten the economic viability of this country is yielding results. This collaboration will go a long way in ensuring that we stamp the authority of the State in order to make sure that the citizens of South Africa are and feel safe. The thorough investigations going into these cases are commendable,” said the National Commissioner