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ZIWAPHI • VOL 4 NO 14 • 25 June - 8 July 2010

NELSPRUIT

An Mpumalanga police constable five other suspects appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges of fraud, corruption and possession of a stolen firearm.

Constable Zakhele Mkhatshwa (27), a member of the detective branch in White River, was arrested with his co-accused after a complaint from a member of the public about unauthorised transactions processed on her account after she had used it at a music store in Nelspruit.

Mkhatshwa, who got a lawyer immediately after his arrest on Saturday, was released on R5 000 bail by Magistrate Amos Khumalo during a hearing before 8am on Monday.

The other five suspects, Mpendulo Shiba (25), Thabo Tsela (22), Bongani Nyerenda (23), Dennis De Beer (30) and Dumisani Mkhatshwa (33), were denied bail by Magistrate Eddie Hall despite an argument by their defence lawyer, Eddie Mabaso, to be given the same treatment.

He postponed their bail application until Friday.

According to provincial police spokesperson Captain Leonard Hlathi, the constable was found to be living in a house worth more than R1-million in Nelsville and had a staggering R600 000 in his bank account at the time of his arrest.

"During the search at his house, the police recovered a laptop, one card skimming encoder, one card skimming device and several cloned cards," added Hlathi.

He said the provincial commercial crime unit’s investigation led them to a cashier at the music store where the complainant had shopped.

"The suspect was found in possession of a card skimming device and he then led the police to two other suspects, who actually came to the shop to collect the device. After searching their vehicle, the police recovered two more devices. They then arrested two more suspects in KaNyamazane, where they confiscated a 9mm pistol, two laptops, one card reprinter, several cloned cards from South Africa and other countries, and one Fifa cash access card with a fake ID photo. The five suspects led police to the constable's house, where he was arrested."

Nelspruit state prosecutor Tobie Steyn said some of the cards that the police had found in Mkhatshwa's possession had been stolen from foreign visitors who had come to watch the Fifa World Cup.

"A transaction worth R53 000 had been done on one of them. The police are still trying to establish the other amounts," he said.

Hlathi said the arrest of the five men had busted a sophisticated card-cloning syndicate.