A concerted multidisciplinary effort by law enforcement agencies to discourage plundering of the country’s living marine resources is on-going and it has seen many successes. Fourteen accused appeared in the Bellville and Cape Town Magistrate’s Courts respectively on Friday, 21 April 2017 for allegations related to dealing in abalone after they were arrested earlier this year.
The accused; Jacobus Hendricks (52), Chad Hendricks (22), Takunwa Makwarimba (37), Nelson Ndadzira (43), Richard Matibe (25), Fungai Chinakidzwa (31), Siu-Lee Ngok (56), Andrew Lau (30), Johannes Basson (41), Vincent McLeod (43), Johan George Kluyts (28) Pieter Ferreira (34),Juandre Barnard (30) and Maralise Van Staden (33).
Whilst project driven investigations on national priority crime is our on-going task as encapsulated in our mandate, we equally aim to seek and find those who continue to perpetrate Serious Organised Crime and this is realised by disrupting high level criminal enterprises, these arrests are a tell-tale of our stand.
Apart from the Zimbabwean quartet who have been found to be in the country without documentation, the rest of the accused are out on bail ranging from R15 000 to R80 000. The matter has been adjourned until the 2nd of May and 21st of July respectively to allow for further investigations. The accused are expected to face additional charges of racketeering and money laundering in contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
