Nyameko Hlala (28) has been remanded in custody after a brief appearance in the East London Magistrate’s Court on 18 January 2022 for his alleged participation in the cash heist that took place outside an East London shopping complex during the weekend.
At about midday on Saturday, 15 January 2022, two armed suspects allegedly accosted G4S security guards outside of one of the wholesalers. They managed to get away with the cash box headed towards Reeston. They were reportedly driving a white double-cab bakkie without registration plates that were parked in the vicinity.
The Hawks’ Serious Crime Investigation team was amongst the role players summoned to the scene and they began with the probe in earnest. The getaway vehicle was later found abandoned after it crashed into a house in Reeston. A preliminary investigation revealed the ownership of the said vehicle and an address in Ezibeleni.
Around midnight on the same day, Hlala walked into Ezibeleni police station and reported that he was hijacked by unknown individuals in East London earlier that day. He further stated that the hijackers drove with him and left him tied up and locked in a deserted shack.
The Queenstown-based Hawks’ members were called to the station in order to interview the victim who turned out to be the perpetrator following a confession. Investigation to trace the other possible suspects is ongoing. The case against Hlala has been postponed to 25 January 2022 pending further investigation and for bail application.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated case, three Eastern Cape company directors and a juristic person were found guilty by the Mthatha Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 17 January 20222, for tax evasion. The conviction and sentence follow a probe by the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team of the Hawks’ after the South African Revenue Service (SARS) reported the group in September 2018.
Villiers Ndabazandile Beta (64), Mzimasi Siyotyolo (72), Funeka Ndima (43) through Ncedisizwe Development Secondary Cooperative Pty Ltd were accused of fraud after they failed to submit tax returns during the year 2016 to 2017. Their first court appearance was in December last year after they were served with summons.
The court has sentenced the trio to pay a fine of R8 000 each or undergo 4 months imprisonment. The sentence has however been suspended for 5 years on the condition that they do not commit a similar offense during the suspension.