Bail hearing in Sassa fraud and theft case postponed
'The postponement is to allow the court to hear additional evidence it has to consider in making a decision on the applications submitted by the 11 accused,' National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said.
Shumani Khwerana and 10 co-accused face multiple charges including cybercrime, fraud and theft.
'The state alleges the accused orchestrated a sophisticated scheme involving the creation of fake Sassa profiles wherein more than R4m was deposited and these profiles were used to withdraw large sums of money from various Sassa paypoints.'
During the hearing, the state submitted affidavits from the investigating officer and Mazimela Kubeka, a senior internal investigator at Sassa, with information on how the accused were implicated in the alleged offences.
Mjonondwane said the court requested additional supporting evidence from the state.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
13 hours ago
- IOL News
Daniel Smit's vehicle seized following the brutal brutal murder of Jerobejin van Wyk
Daniel Smit's vehicle has been seized by the Asset Forfeiture Unit. Image: Supplied Child murderer and self-confessed cultist Daniel Smit's bakkie, used in the kidnapping and brutal murder of 13-year-old Jerobejin van Wyk, has been seized by the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU). National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila welcomed the order following the application for the vehicle's preservation and forfeiture. Smit had used the vehicle to pursue Jerobijn, knocked him over, and kidnapped him before brutally murdering him. Ntabazalila said the vehicle was an instrumentality of the offences of which Smit was convicted of and sentenced on November 5, last year. Smit is currently serving his life imprisonment sentence. 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 AFU is governed by the Prevention of Organised Crime Act 121 of 1998 (POCA). POCA provides for two types of civil forfeiture mechanisms - in terms of Chapter 5, which is a criminal forfeiture and is dependent on a conviction, and in terms of Chapter 6, which is a civil forfeiture and is not dependent on a conviction. In this application, the unit utilised Chapter 6 and applied for a preservation order in terms of Section 38 of POCA. Jerobejin van Wyk was murdered in February 2022 after he was caught picking mangoes with a friend. Image: Supplied Ntabazalila said: 'During the criminal trial, the AFU successfully applied for a preservation order, and Judge Hayley Slingers, who presided over the trial, granted it on 19 March. In its application, the unit argued that Smit used the vehicle to pursue the deceased, knock him over, kidnap, and murder him, and that it was an instrumentality of the offences listed in items 1,3 and 7 of Schedule 1 of POCA, that being murder, kidnapping, assault, and child stealing. In terms of Section 40 of POCA, AFU had 90 days to file a forfeiture application, failing which the preservation order would lapse,' said Ntabazalila. On Thursday Judge James Dumisani Lekhuleni granted the unopposed forfeiture order. The application was served on the accused in prison on April 10, confirmed Ntabazalila. In November last year, Smit was sentenced to an effective life imprisonment following his conviction on attempted murder, kidnapping, murder of Jerobejin, violation of his corpse, and defeating the administration of justice. The court ordered that Smit must serve two-thirds of his sentence before he could be considered eligible for parole. During trial, the court heard that on February 2, 2022, Jerobejin and his friend entered the accused's property in Matzikama Street, Klawer, and stole fruit from his garden. He claimed he became angry as the two boys mocked him when he spoke to them. 'After pursuing them with his vehicle and catching Van Wyk, he took the boy home, broke his neck, put his body in the freezer, and later dismembered it. He burnt it using tricks he claimed he learnt from a Chinese occult he joined when he was a teenager. He also claimed the occult had an influence on him and used that mitigation of sentence, as well as diminished responsibility. He asked the court to sentence him to 30 years of direct imprisonment,' said Ntabazalila.
eNCA
17 hours ago
- eNCA
Mashatile is in hot water over undecleared diamond gift
JOHANNESBURG - The Parliaments Joint Committee on Ethics has taken aim at Deputy President Paul Mashatile. This as the committee has recommended that Deputy President Paul Mashatile be fined R10,000 for failing to disclose a diamond that was gifted to his wife by businessman Louis Liebenberg. Mashatile claimed that he was waiting for an appraisal before declaring it and has since handed it over to the National Prosecuting Authority.
The South African
17 hours ago
- The South African
'Death of a prosecutor is one too many'
Regional Court prosecutor Tracy Brown was shot and killed outside her home in Gqeberha, in the presence of her partner and child. The incident occurred on Thursday, 31 July, in what authorities have described as an assassination-style attack. The motive for the killing remains unclear. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has strongly condemned the murder, calling it an attack on the rule of law. In a statement, the NPA described the killing of prosecutors as deeply disturbing. NPA National Spokesperson, Mthunzi Mhaga, said prosecutors have a deep commitment to serving the people, often at great personal risk. 'To target those who dedicate their lives to upholding the law is to strike at the heart of our constitutional democracy. We will not be deterred in our resolve to deliver on our mandate to ensure justice for the people of our country,' Mhaga added. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, condemned the murder and called for urgent measures to protect NPA staff. She also described Brown's death as 'heartbreaking' and the act as 'barbaric.' 'These protections must be reinforced and better coordinated with other security cluster stakeholders to ensure that our prosecutors can carry out their duties without fear for their lives,' the Minister said. She further urged the public to come forward with any information that could assist law enforcement in their investigation. 'The death of a prosecutor is one too many,' Minister Kubayi added. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news
