Israeli mafia: Infighting

2003-11-17 10:32

Johannesburg - Institute for Security Studies' researcher Peter Gastrow says not much is known about the Israeli organised criminal network in South Africa.

However, quite a bit is known in Israel about the Ramat Amidar gang and by extension, about the gang's agents in South Africa.

According to reports, the Ramat Amidar gang was the creation of Yossi Harari.

Johannesburg police Superintendent Chris Wilken says Harari was the "godfather" of Avissar and Saat, both of whom arrived in South Africa some time in the 1990s, along with some 20 thugs.

Harari, who is currently in jail in Israel for conspiring to commit murder, came to South Africa in 1998. While it is not clear whether he stayed with Saat or Avissar, Wilken said he appointed Avissar as his representative before he left.

According to Wilken, Avissar was not a criminal in the league of Saat and Amir Moila, who police are currently trying to trace.

"Avissar wasn't clean, he just wasn't as dirty as Saat and Moila. Saat has been involved in murdering people, Moila as well we suspect. Avissar was never involved in murder."

Wilken said it was for this reason Harari in fact put Moila in charge of the more hard-core criminal activities of the gang, while he let Avissar deal with the business.

According to Israel's leading daily newspaper, Ha'aretz, Avissar's "softness," his high position in the gang as well as his friendship with former first lady Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, a close friend of Avissar's wife Hazel Crane, were not to the liking of Saat, who wanted control of the gang for himself.

Saat understood that Avissar's association with Madikizela-Mandela could be to his benefit.

Ha'aretz speculated that Saat understood he could never hope to compete with Avissar on this account, although he certainly tried. According to the paper, Saat wanted to sever ties with Harari and objected to the amount of money Avissar was constantly funnelling to Israel.

"Avissar, Winnie and Crane were all very good friends," said Wilken.

Madikizela-Mandela's efforts to find Avissar's body after he was murdered, came to naught, but in April 2001, the efforts of the police finally paid off. Saat was arrested.

He has been in custody ever since but is currently contesting the jurisdiction of the South African courts to try him. He claims he was abducted from the Mozambican border and brought to South Africa illegally.

Crane, a potential witness against Saat has been "eliminated". She was not the first. Two other potential witnesses against Saat were killed shortly after the Avissar murder, and Crane survived an attempt on her life in May this year.

Gastrow says attacks on a high-profile figures such as Crane are not only untoward, but are actually indicative of a lack of sophistication on the part of the Israeli criminal groups.

Saat is accused of killing Avissar - and Avissar, just like Crane, had close ties with Madikizela-Mandela.

- SAPA