R6. 3 million Security Scam: Global Strike employees busted for defrauding Anglo American Platinum
Image: Supplied
Three Global Strike Security Company employees have been arrested for allegedly defrauding Anglo American Platinum of R6.3 million.
Former Director Wanda van Zyl, 57, and two payroll administrators, Monidue Nel, 52, and Ruan van Zyl, 23, were nabbed by the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (known as the Hawks).
The trio who were arrested on Monday, May 19, 2025, are accused of submitting fraudulent invoices between December 20, 2018, and September 20, 2021.
Explaining the case, Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa said the trio allegedly submitted fraudulent invoices and claimed funds to Anglo-American Platinum for security services that were not rendered.
Anglo American Platinum reportedly grew suspicious and launched an internal forensic investigation.
The investigation uncovered more than 33 fraudulent claims that had already been paid.
'As a result, Anglo-American Platinum suffered a loss of over R6.3 million,' Mmuroa said.
The matter was reported to the Mahwelereng police station and later transferred to the Hawks for further investigation.
Mmuroa confirmed that four individuals from Global Strike Security were linked to the scheme, three of whom have now been arrested, while the fourth has since died.
The case was referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), which authorised warrants of arrest.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
The suspects reportedly cooperated and handed themselves over to the Hawks.
The trio appeared briefly in the Mahwelereng Magistrate's Court on May 19, facing 26 counts of fraud.
The matter was postponed to May 20, 2025, for a formal bail application.
In a separate story, IOL News previously reported that the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Polokwane has sentenced Serage Martin Lubenga (28) and Rhoda Mirembe (33) to 15 years in prison each for defrauding a Limpopo woman of R650,000 in a dating scam
Lubenga befriended the 39-year-old victim in 2023, later introducing her to Mirembe, who posed as a prophet named "Alice."
Mirembe convinced the woman that she would receive R4 million if she paid 10% upfront.
The victim handed over R650,000 and provided personal documents under the pretense of prayers for financial promotion.
The Hawks arrested the pair in Potchefstroom after uncovering the scam.
They found that the victim's details had been used to rent luxury properties, and four high-end vehicles, including a Range Rover and BMW X6, were seized.
Lubenga and Mirembe pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and one of corruption.
The court sentenced them to 10 years for the first fraud charge, five for the second, and five for corruption, with the first two sentences running concurrently.
They will serve an effective 15 years and are now also barred from owning firearms.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
IOL News
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
PAGAD Fugitive, captured after 8 years as police seize 23 illegal firearms in Western Cape
PAGAD fugitive Faizel Felix has been on the run for an illegal firearm case for the past eight years. Image: HAWKS As the Western Cape hailed the confiscation of 23 firearms amid gang violence including 13 in Mitchells Plain, PAGAD fugitive Faizel Felix who evaded authorities for years has been apprehended. Felix is no stranger to the courts, after he also made headlines in 2001, when he was accused of being behind a motorbike bomb explosion in front of the Wynberg Magistrates' Court but could never be prosecuted or linked because there were no state witnesses left to testify against him. The efforts behind his successful arrest follows the work done by the Hawks Crimes Against the State (CATs) team's efforts. Felix made an appearance at the Wynberg Magistrates' Court on Monday, eight years after he evaded the long alarm of the law. His case comes hours after, MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais confirmed that 23 firearms were confiscated, 13 of which were found in Mitchell's Plain. According to Fight Against Crime SA's (FACSA) database, 52 shooting incidents were reported in the WC between 11 and 13 July, with 13 people shot, seven fatalities and nearly 32 affected areas, with hotspots such as Elsies River, Tafelsig, Bishop Lavis and others. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The Hawks spokesperson, Warrant Officer, Zinzi Hani said Felix had evaded court appearances since 2016. 'Faizel Felix (52), a member of People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD) who previously absconded from court facing a charge of illegal possession of a firearm has briefly appeared in court today." 'His appearance comes after he was arrested in Wynberg earlier today by the Hawks Crimes Against the State (CATS) team, Western Cape on a warrant of arrest which was issued in 2016. 'Felix has been on the run for the past 8 years. 'It is reported that Felix was arrested on August 19 2015, for the illegal possession of a firearm by the Special Investigating Group for the City of Cape Town, thereafter the matter was referred to the Hawks for further probing. 'His non-attendance led to the court issuing a warrant for his arrest and subsequently his arrest today. 'The case is ongoing, with the man's next court appearance scheduled for July 17nat the Wynberg Regional Court. Felix remains in custody.' Marais spokesperson, Kurt Nefdt confirmed more than 20 firearms were confiscated. The success comes after sporadic shootings in the Cape including Mitchells Plain where five people were killed and seven wounded in a matter of hours on July 3 and another mass shooting in Bishop Lavis at the weekend. 'I can confirm that there have been another five firearms confiscated since our last media release. Two firearms were confiscated in Bishop Lavis following the recent mass murder( not confirmed if it is linked to the incident), one in Kuils River and another two in the Somerset West area. I must mention that these figures change often as intensified operations to clamp down on illegal guns and ammunition are ongoing,' said Nefdt. According to Gun Free SA's Researcher and Analyst, Claire Taylor, more than 8000 guns have been stolen since 2023: 'In 2023/24 alone, civilians reported losing or having 8,452 guns stolen - that's 23 guns every single day." Lynn Philipps of the Cape Flats Safety Forum said they applauded the successes but called for an inquiry after more than 30 firearms vanished from the Mitchell's Plain Police Station since 2017. 'How many people were innocently caught in the crossfires or shot with these stolen firearms retrieved thus far?' she said. A Consultative meeting of faith leaders and civic organizations such as the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) President Sheikh Fataar, Reverend Rodney Whiteman of the Western Province Council of Churches and Dr Llewellyn MacMaster, chairperson of the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition, addressing gang violence on Wednesday. Pagad did not respond by the time of deadline on Monday. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus
Daily Maverick
3 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Fugutive Pagad member finally arrested after eight-year manhunt
Police arrested Pagad member Faizel Felix on Monday after he had evaded gun charges for eight years. According to sources close to the case, the arrest signals that police are serious about combatting vigilantism. Faizel Felix, 52, who faces a charge of the illegal possession of a firearm, is back in custody after previously absconding from court and being on the run for eight years. On 14 July 2025, Felix was nabbed by the Hawks' Crimes Against the State team in the Western Cape on a warrant of arrest issued in 2016. Elaborating on the case, Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said Felix was arrested on 19 August 2015 by the City of Cape Town's Special Investigating Group for the illegal possession of a firearm. The matter was then referred to the Hawks for further investigation. 'Felix appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate's Court for the illegal possession of a firearm. He was granted bail. He disappeared and never attended court again. His non-attendance led to the court issuing a warrant for his arrest and subsequently his arrest on Monday, 14 July 2025,' she said. The vigilante group Research by the Institute for Security Studies, titled 'Vigilantism v. The State: A case study of the rise and fall of Pagad, 1996-2000' states that Pagad started as a movement against gangsterism and drugs but led to vigilantes using pipe bombs and firearms. The report further states that Pagad evolved rapidly into an organisation with a political agenda, purging dissenters, intimidating the Muslim establishment, as well as liberal and feminist Muslims, and attacking police, prosecutors and judges. One of their most heinous crimes occurred on 4 August 1996, when notorious Hard Livings gang leader Rashied Staggie was publicly lynched and set ablaze with petrol by a Pagad mob outside his house in Salt River. Felix's first run-in with the law was in 2001 when he was accused of being behind a motorbike explosion in front of the Wynberg Magistrate's Court. Days before Felix's bail application, the main witness, Ashraf Saban, was murdered. He could not be prosecuted because there were no state witnesses left to testify against him and all charges relating to the explosion were withdrawn. Back then, prosecutor Eunice Grey stated that the firearm used in his murder was the same one used to shoot Ebrahim Gallie, a key witness in the State's case against Ebrahim Jeneker. Jeneker, Abdullah Maansdorp and Moegamat Isaacs, former members of Pagad, were released on parole in November 2020 after serving 21 years for six murders in 1999. Not too late for justice A former police officer who infiltrated Pagad at the height of its reign of terror spoke to Daily Maverick on condition of anonymity. A criminologist close to the case also spoke to Daily Maverick on the condition of anonymity. The pair were concerned about the ongoing existence of Pagad in areas such as the gang-ravaged Mitchells Plain. 'Whether it is eight or 20 years, this kind of crime can't escape accountability because time has lapsed,' said the former officer on the charges against Felix. Both the criminologist and former officer said Felix must be held to account. 'There is an emergence of vigilante tendencies in the country, because people are frustrated with the police. One must show when you engage in that kind of activity, then you will be held accountable, whether it is after five or 16 years,' the pair said. The former officer said Pagad appeared to be gaining momentum in Mitchells Plain, stating that it was understandable given the challenges with policing in the area. According to the SAPS fourth quarter crime statistics of the 2024-2025 financial year, from January 2025 to March 2025 there were 319 murders perpetrated due to vigilantism. The leading provinces were Eastern Cape (70), Gauteng (69) and Western Cape (64). 'There are townships in the Western Cape and other parts of the country where people are turning to vigilantism because they are frustrated with the police. In that sense, Pagad is not exceptional. 'When you have a police service that refuses to do what it must do, which is to deal with crime, then you have that kind of crime,' the former officer said. He added that when Pagad initially emerged in 1995/96, the counter-argument to vigilantism was that there was a new government and new Constitution and they must have a chance to deal with crime. 'Now fast forward 30 years later, the police have failed. The government has failed dismally in dealing with crime, it has not shown seriousness in dealing with crime. 'You can't deal with these crimes by appointing commission upon commission of inquiry. Now the ordinary person in Manenberg, Lavender Hill, Gauteng and other parts of the country is sitting there and they are saying, 'President Cyril Ramaphosa is appointing another commission; we are dying here because of crime, and our children are infected with drugs; no we are going to do our own thing,'' he told Daily Maverick. Pagad distances itself In a statement, Pagad national coordinator Haroon Orrie distanced the group from Felix and said calling him a member was a 'blatant misrepresentation'. 'We have, since 2015 to the present day, asserted categorically, and very publicly, that a group of former members of Pagad have been expelled from the organisation, due to their contravention of the objects, policies and discipline of Pagad. They have formed a separate splinter group, referring to themselves as the 'G-Force'. Faizel Felix is a member of this G-Force. He is not a member of Pagad,' said Orrie. 'Pagad has embarked on processes to prohibit this splinter group from using and operating under the name of Pagad. This splinter group has been implicated in a range of illegal activities.'
IOL News
14 hours ago
- IOL News
Hawks arrest man for selling endangered barn owls in Nelspruit
A barn owl in flight. Image: Chris Collingridge A MAN selling endangered barn owls for R1 000 at Nelspruit shopping mall yesterday was swooped upon by the he Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks. Acting on an alert received by Parks Board official, the arresting officers also seized the 48-year-old man's vehicle, which was used to transport the birds. The bust, yet again highlighted the constant threat and the battle authorities have with the illegal trade in wildlife in South Africa, a country rich in biodiversity. A man will appear before the Nelspruit Magistrate's Court, facing charges under the Mpumalanga Nature Conservation Act, and keeping or conveyance of live game. Image: Hawks Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ According to Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, spokesperson for the Mpumalanga provincial Hawks, the suspect was discovered selling the owls at a local shopping complex for R1,000 each. The brazen act of illegal wildlife trade prompted swift action from the Hawks, following a tip-off from the Parks Board officials. A joint operation ensued, leading to the suspect being caught in the act, with no necessary permits to sell the protected species. 'The vehicle used to transport the wildlife, a Nissan light delivery vehicle, was seized in the operation,' Nkosi confirmed. The arrested individual is set to appear before the Nelspruit Magistrate's Court on Tuesday. He faces serious charges under the Mpumalanga Nature Conservation Act, specifically regarding the keeping and conveyance of live game. Brigadier Danie Hall, the acting provincial head of the Hawks, welcomed the arrest, emphasising the importance of wildlife to South Africa's cultural and natural heritage. 'Wildlife is part of South Africa's heritage, which must be protected,' Hall asserted. He encouraged local communities to report any suspicious activities related to the illegal sale of wildlife, stressing, "When we take care of our wildlife, we safeguard our heritage for future generations." This recent incident is part of a broader trend in South Africa, where law enforcement agencies are stepping up efforts to combat wildlife trafficking. J Last year, another significant case was reported where a 59-year-old man, Neo Tongwane, lost his Mercedes-Benz after being convicted of attempting to sell a pangolin. The Asset Forfeiture Unit secured a final forfeiture order for the vehicle, valued at R150,000, highlighting the legal repercussions faced by those involved in illicit wildlife trade. The fight against wildlife crime is critical for maintaining biodiversity and ensuring that future generations inherit a naturally rich environment. As authorities increase their vigilance, the hope is that such actions will serve both as a deterrent to would-be traffickers and a rallying call for public involvement in safeguarding South Africa's unique wildlife. DAILY NEWS
