5 in court for stealing cycads

2006-08-15 20:10

Pretoria - Five men - three Zimbabweans and two South Africans - have appeared in court for illegally dealing in cycads, said police on Tuesday.

Superintendent Ronel Otto said: "Ernie Bouwer of Pretoria was granted R5 000 bail on Monday in Pretoria."

She said the other four appeared in the Naboomspruit magistrate's court last week.

"One of them - Johannes Sono of Naboomspruit - was given a bail of R1 000 and the others are still in custody."

The others are Moses Ncube, Arnold Matutu and Kissmore Impala, all from Zimbabwe.

The four were arrested last week after members of the police's diamond and gold unit got a tip-off about the theft in Naboomspruit, Modimolle and Bela-Bela.

The men were found in possession of seven Eugene Marais cycads to the value of R50 000 which they removed from farms in the area, said police.

Bouwer previously arrested

Their case was postponed to Thursday.

Bouwer allegedly received the stolen cycads from the four and sold them around Gauteng.

Otto said: "Bouwer was previously arrested in Texas, America, for illegally importing endangered cycad species from South Africa into America."

The cycads he sold in America were believed to be worth hundreds of thousands of rands.

"His case was postponed to later this month."

- SAPA