Senior police, business owners, directors arrested in SAPS anti-corruption pre-dawn raid

Picture: luctheo/Pixabay

Picture: luctheo/Pixabay

Published Jun 4, 2020

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Cape Town - The specialised anti-corruption task team established in 2017 arrested 15 suspects, including senior police officers, on Thursday during a pre-dawn raid.

They include eight police members, a retired lieutenant-general and six citizens.

The unit, which was established by national police commissioner, General Khehla John Sitole, under the leadership of Brigadier Tony Perumal, was tasked to investigate allegations of corruption following serious allegations of corruption and related crimes that dated back to 2017.

The team and its investigations are supported by a prosecution team from the investigative directorate within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) under the leadership of Advocate Hermione Cronje.

Members of the specialised task team arrested the suspects on multiple charges including corruption, theft, fraud and money laundering.

The suspects were arrested at their homes during the raid and were named by the national commissioner’s office as: 

- Retired Lieutenant General Ramahlapi Johannes Mokwena, 60, a former divisional commissioner for Supply Chain Management at the Pretoria Head Office was arrested in Rethabile;

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Brigadier James Ramanjalum, 55, a former section head of procurement arrested in Rooihuiskraal;

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Brigadier Jabez Naidoo, 49,Station Commander at the Point Police Station in KZN was  arrested in Durban;

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Brigadier Lesetja David Mogotlane, 57, Section Head: Mechanical Services was arrested in Soshanguwe

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Colonel Thomas Dumisani Marima, 50, Section Commander: Vehicles and Tactical Equipment;

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Lieutenant-Colonel Veeran Naipal, 47, Vehicle Support: Pretoria Central Garage;

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Lieutenant-Colonel Alpheus Nkosibanke Makhetha, 46, Technical Expert: Vehicle Fleet;

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Admin clerk, Jacoba Magadela Havenga,49, the Chief Provincial Clerk: New Vehicle Store- Western Cape;

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SAC Marcell Duan Marney, 33, Chief Provisioning Clerk to Brigadier Ramanjalum;

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Krishna Chetty, 62, arrested in Centurion;

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Kishene Chetty, 38, arrested in Centurion;

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Lorrette Joubert, 44, owner of Vatika Trading, arrested in Mountain View in Pretoria;

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Maricha Joubert, 24, arrested in Mountain View in Pretoria;

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Kumarasen Prithviraj, owner of Kgotho arrested in Mountain View in Pretoria; and

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Volan Prithviraj (son of Kumarasen Prithviraj) arrested in Pretoria.

The arrest of another lieutenant-colonel is still pending, which will bring the number of SAPS members implicated in the fraud to 10.

The arrests come after the specialised task team's intensive investigation into tender fraud in marking police vehicles.

Sitole lauded the task team for their determination in apprehending the suspects. "I have been kept abreast of this extensive and very complicated investigation since its inception.

"I am confident that the cases against the arrested suspects are watertight,” Sitole said.

A court date for the hearing of the group has not yet been set down and Sitole said more arrests are possible.

"We cannot rule out the possibility of more arrests in this matter. Corruption within the SAPS will neither be condoned nor tolerated,” Sitole said.

African News Agency/ANA

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