National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole has commended the arrest of five people accused of stealing an estimated R4-million from companies rendering cash-related services.
Sitole also praised the police for the successful recovery of over R1.5-million of the stolen cash. He said the arrests emanated from the close collaboration between police and the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD).
In the first incident‚ a security guard working for a cash delivery security company allegedly disappeared with a large amount of cash that was collected at a certain bank on April 30. The employer of the guard opened a case of theft at the Hillbrow police station and the case was transferred to the Provincial Investigating Unit (PIU) for investigation.
On May 17 police arrested Zenzele Nicho Khanyile in Doornfontein‚ Johannesburg. The team then proceeded to Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal‚ where they recovered over R200‚000 as well as American currency valued at R500‚000‚ which was also part of the stolen cash.
Khanyile appeared in the Hillbrow Magistrate’s Court on Monday 21 on charges of theft. He remains in custody and will be back in court on May 29.
In another incident‚ two employees of another cash delivery company – Clement Matjoji and Mbangiseni Rapholo – allegedly collected cash from their various clients on May 7. The duo then went back to their depot without the money they had collected. Their employers opened a case of theft of an estimated at R4.6-million at the Germiston Police Station. That case was also transferred to PIU for investigation.
Matjoji and Rapholo were arrested and appeared in the Germiston Magistrate’s Court and were back in court on Wednesday.
On May 22‚ further investigations led police to a house in Tsakane‚ Ekurhuleni. Two people were arrested after police recovered a huge stash of cash estimated at R1.5-million. The house belongs to Rapholo’s brother. He and another family member were arrested and will appear in Germiston Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
Sitole lauded the collaboration between various state security agencies.
“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‚” he said.