Five suspects are set to appear in court after their arrest by the Hawks for running an illegal abalone drying facility in Gqeberha, while another individual was apprehended in connection with a fatal cash-in-transit robbery in Knysna.
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Five suspects are expected to appear in the Gqeberha Magistrate’s Court on Friday after they were netted by the Hawks for operating an illicit abalone drying processing facility in Gqeberha.
The suspects, aged between 20 and 36, were arrested on June 24, said Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani.
Authorities seized 4,513 units of abalone.
The arrest came as a result of a high-profile law enforcement action, consisting of the Bellville Hawks’ Economic Protected Resources (EPR) team, Cape Town Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), Crime Intelligence-Motherwell, as well as SAPS Mount Road.
“The value of the seized abalone is R1,569,819.40. The team followed up on information about a suspicious house allegedly operating an illegal abalone facility. The pursuit led the team to the address along Marcon Road, Gqeberha, where an abalone facility was discovered.
“The Provincial Head of the Hawks in the Western Cape, Major General Mathipa Makgato, welcomed the arrests and said abalone is highly regulated in South Africa under the Marine Living Resources Act,” said Hani.
Operating an abalone drying or processing facility without a permit constitutes a serious offense, often leading to charges of illegal possession, processing, and dealing in protected marine resources, added Hani.
Meanwhile, in a separate matter, a fifth suspect was arrested on June 24 in connection with a June 2021 cash-in-transit (CIT) robbery in Knysna, where a Fidelity security guard was fatally shot and robbed of his firearm.
The 43-year-old suspect was arrested at his residence in Knysna after a warrant of arrest was issued. He will appear in the Knysna Regional Court on Friday on charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
“The incident occurred on 26 June 2021 when the security guard was collecting cash at a supermarket on Long Street, near Woodmill Lane. During the ensuing struggle, the guard was shot three times and tragically passed away.
“Investigation led to the (first) suspect's arrest a few days after the incident; police tracked the getaway vehicle using CCTV footage and arrested 28-year-old Mzoxolo Bhushula near Mossel Bay,” said Hani.
Since the arrest of Bhushula, multiple arrests have followed in connection with the CIT heist.
Masonwabe Yizana, 35, Ntobeko Mehlwana, 39, and Jeffrey Rumbu, 55, are the co-accused in the matter.
Rumbu was arrested on a warrant of arrest while he was detained at Knysna Correctional Services on an unrelated matter.