One of five people arrested recently by the Hawks for allegedly planning to rob a local butchery they believed had R70m at its premises, is a well-known East London-born humanitarian and public figure who was recognised as one of the top 130 most influential people on the continent in 2014.
Alpercino Shearer, 34, a gay rights activist businessman, better known as “Cino”, is an international and South African philanthropist, publicist guru and owner and executive director of a company called Executive Consulting International.
According to his online profile, Shearer has a masters degree in psychology, and is the chairman of Cino Shearer Foundation and founder of a literature programme named after renowned SA poet Don Mattera.
He also has an MBA qualification from Wits University.
Prior to forming Executive Consulting International, Shearer, who was born in East London but is now based in Johannesburg, served as a human resources consultant for Sasol, as well as a consultant for Nedbank South Africa.
He was arrested on July 26 along with 55-year-old Dina Shirley Gunuza on suspicion that they were part of a gang that had conspired to rob a local butchery they believed had R70m at its premises.
They face two counts, one of conspiracy to commit an armed robbery and another of attempted robbery. They joined their three co-accused, Warren Isaacs, 30, Patison Ncube, 42, both from Johannesburg, and Sonwabile Mafanya, 43, from Mdantsane, who were arrested on July 12, just 50m from the butchery they had allegedly planned to rob.
A group of heavily armed men, some believed to possess military training and with alleged explosives in their vehicle, managed to evade arrest on the day.
The group is said to have managed to escape Hawks investigators who were tailing them because there was heavy traffic on the road, according to a testimony given in court by a Hawks investigator.
While applying for bail at the East London magistrate’s court on Thursday, Shearer said he was a publicist for “many influential clients”, among others, former statesman Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Chief Mandla Zwelivelile Mandela, former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda and a “Liberian president”.
“I mention this not to do the so-called name dropping, but rather to emphasise how difficult it would be for me to be released on bail and evade trial without being noticed in public,” he told court.In his affidavit, read by his defence lawyer Neil Ristow, Shearer told bail court magistrate Joel Cesar that he was a “very committed gay rights activist who had furthered the rights of gay people on many platforms”, including in countries such as Uganda.
He also told court he assisted Amathole District Municipality facilitate a meeting with some German investors who had planned to invest in the district.
He said his foundation employed 10 people and had done a lot of charity work for vulnerable children and communities.
He pleaded with court to grant him bail, saying if it does not, his foundation, its employees and their families, would suffer.
However, he also told court he was currently out on bail in a fraud case in Johannesburg, which he would appear in court again for on August 21.
His co-accused, Isaacs, is believed by the Hawks to have links with Gauteng-based gangs, some of which are suspected of being behind the spate of armed robberies and cash-in-transit heists in EL and the province.
In his affidavit, Isaacs told the court he was a director of Cupido Rehab Aftercare Centre in Parkside, East London, which deals with more than 200 youths battling alcohol and substance abuse. He said he employed 20 staff and that “they depend on me for support”.
In June, the Dispatch reported that Isaacs, a good Samaritan, had offered to build Tsaba Village residents in Tsholomnqa a community hall after coming across an article highlighting their need for such a facility.
Gunuza, in her application affidavit, told the court she was a manager at Parkridge-based Workbench Centre, which currently aids more than 40 disabled people.
She said she was responsible for running the centre and was now worried about the wellbeing of staff and patients.
The group were arrested after the Hawks intercepted their alleged plans to rob the butchery, plans they said were captured on video and audio footage.
The Hawks have declined to comment but said their investigation was ongoing.
The bail hearing will continue on Monday...