Cops involved in car scam
2008-03-15 23:02
Johannesburg - The involvement of police officers in organised crime - including violent crimes and sophisticated syndicates - is hampering the country's fight against criminals.
Recent statistics have shown an increase in violent crime, including hijackings. Now it seems more police officers are being caught on the wrong side of the law.
This comes as police uncovered a multimillion-rand syndicate involving high-ranking policemen.
The officers allegedly helped criminals to clear hijacked and stolen vehicles that were then sold to an unsuspecting public.
The scam is believed to involve cars stolen from across the country including Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. The officers allegedly cleared each vehicle for a bribe of R600.
73 vehicles confiscated
At least 73 vehicles, worth about R5.1m, have been confiscated from their "owners" by police in the past few months.
Police expect to make more arrests and recover hundreds more vehicles.
Five senior police officers - who are all police inspectors - have been arrested. They appeared in Pinetown Magistrates' Court outside Durban and were released on bail of R1 000 to R3 000 each.
Most of the officers work at Durban Central police station. They are believed to be part of a national syndicate that deals in stolen and hijacked cars.
Some of the cars are being exported to neighbouring countries.
Officers lived the high life
The officers are Zamokuhle Sokhulu, Shesha Hlophe, Gideon Mbonambi, Mali Malunga and Dumisani Mzinyane.
Sokhulu and Mbonambi live in KwaMashu and Umlazi. Malunga drives a Jeep Cherokee and owns a fleet of minibus taxis. He has moved to the upmarket area of Caversham Glen in Pinetown.
Hlophe has moved to Nagina Gardens in Pinetown, while Mzinyane lives in New Germany.
Their case was postponed to April 8 2008 for further investigations. The nine-month probe began in March last year after the confiscation of several vehicles with police clearances. Their engine and chassis numbers had been erased or altered.
How the scam worked
Police outlined how the scam worked. Car hijackers and thieves would buy a car from a scrapyard on the pretext of fixing it. In reality, they were after its logbook and licence discs.
Hijackers would then hijack or steal a similar model and obtain clearance for it.
Police say the suspects did not, as required by law, ask the people seeking clearance to bring the vehicles to the police station for inspection.
A source close to the investigation said: "No vehicles were presented for these clearances to be done, only the request for the vehicle clearance document was handed to the SAPS official.
"After the clearance was completed, the person who requested the clearance paid the bribe."