Alleged Illegal Mining Kingpins Appear In Court
The Carletonville Magistrates’ Court denied bail to Dumisani Moyo (35), one of the six men who are alleged to be illegal mining kingpins. On their second appearance on 17 October 2022, the five co-accused abandoned their bail application. However today, Bethuel Ngobeni (38), Nhlahla Leon Magwaca (26), Thabo Prince Sechele (34), and Moseki Sechele (28), through their legal representatives informed the court that they intend to bring their application for bail. Khudzai Mashaya still opted to abandon his bail application.
The six are facing seven counts of unlawful dealing in precious metals, three counts of fraud and money laundering. Four of the accused, Ngobeni, Magwaca, Moyo and Mashaya, are also facing four counts of being illegal in the country. It is alleged the six men ran an operation, where they illegally collect precious metals from disused and abandoned mines, processed and sell them. It is further alleged that with the proceeds they got from selling the unlawful metals, they bought properties using falsified names.
In his bail application, Moyo asked to be released on R2000 bail, through his affidavit he informed the court that he was a South African citizen, born in Welkom, Free State. However, the state opposed Moyos’s bail application and called an immigration officer from the Department of Home Affairs, who testified that the hospital Moyo claimed to have been born at, was opened four years after he was born, moreover there are no records at the school he claimed to have attended. Therefore, his identity document was obtained fraudulently. The state also handed in a document from the Department of Home Affairs, to have Moyo’s citizenship cancelled.
In his judgement, the Magistrate said Moyo was not honest in his affidavit, and he did not convince the court that it was in the interest of justice that he be released on bail. The matter was postponed to 23 and 24 November 2022, for the substantial application for the presiding officer’s recusal and formal bail application for the four accused.
Issued by:
Lumka Mahanjana:
NPA Regional Spokesperson
Gauteng Division: Pretoria
073 002 0000