Pretoria North 18515/7-5-21 QUALITY USED VEHICLES AWESOME DEALS MAY 7, 2021 • www.rekord.co.za • 012-842-0300 012 329 0730 | www.autoplatinum.co.za Visit our website for breaking Transnet employees Farewell messages pour Mobile kiosks now at local, national and international news. busted for cable theft 2 in as businessman dies 3 driver’s licence centres 4 rekord.co.za ‘Hijackings, robberies on the rise’ Keitumetse Maako Car hijackings, abuse of women and house robberies are all on the rise, not only in Pretoria, but particularly in the north. This was according to police minister Bheki Cele, who made an appearance at the Pretoria North magistrate’s court before the launch of an O Kae Molao operation in Akasia on Friday. “For some reason, there is a high Prosec CITR-lede wat op die roof gereageer het: Timo Potgieter, Levy Mokoena, Pieter Barnard en Manie Visser. level of these crimes,” Cele told the media. “These are crimes that instill fear – house robbery, hijacking, rape, the abuse of women and the abuse of children.” Around 250 people were arrested Afleweringsvoertuie during the operation led by provincial community safety MEC Faith Mazibuko and commissioner Lieutenant General Elias Mawela. During the operation, stop-and- searches were held along the R80 Mabopane highway where a number in noorde geteiken of crimes were recently reported. Police also raided several buildings ’n Skietery het ontaard in een van twee rooftogte op dieselfde oggend waarin gewapende and suspected drug dens believed to be harbouring criminals. rowers op afl eweringsvoertuie toegeslaan hethet in Amandasig en Sinoville.Sinoville. “The roadblock resulted in the recovery of three hijacked and stolen motor vehicles,” said police Corlia van Deventer die rowers in hul silwer Hyundaii I10 aan, spokesperson Captain Mavela het die booswigte in hul haastigee vlug teen Masondo. Drie mans is vas ná ’n skietery in die noorde die verkeer, in Sefako Makgatho-rylaan,o-rylaan, “Suspected stolen property was van Pretoria en nog verdagtes is soek vir ingejaag. recovered at a property harbouring die roof van twee afl eweringsvoertuie op Visser sê een van die vier verdagtesdagtes het criminals in Akasia,” he said. dieselfde dag. sommer in die jaagtog besluit omm uit die Masondo said although goods were Dit nadat die afl eweringsvoertuie in voertuig te spring en weg te handloop.dloop. recovered, the suspects however fl ed twee veskillende gevalle deur rowers op Hy sê Prosec CITR-lid Levy MokoenaMokoena het into the bushes as police approached Maandagoggend geteiken is. vinnig opgetree om met sy voertuiguig die ppadad the property. In Amandasig, Akasia, het die bestuurder tussen Vinko- en Marijastrate te versper. A further 13 suspects were arrested van ’n afl eweringsvoertuig die diefstal van Die rowers het uitgeswaai vir MokoenaMokoena se for dealing and being in possession drie pakkies, bestem vir kliënte, aangemeld voertuig en toe teen ’n boom langsgs die pad of drugs when they raided suspected nadat vier gewapende rowers op hom gebots. Met polisie kort op die verdagteserdagtes drug dens. toegeslaan het. se hakke was daar ’n oor-en-weerer During stop-and-searches another Twee mans en twee vroue was glo geskietery. Met die hulp van Visser,ser, ssyy 10 suspects were also arrested for betrokke by dié roof en het met hul buit span en veiligheidsgroepe kon polisieolisie allegedly selling liquor without a gevlug in ’n wit Volkswagen Jetta, volgens die drie rowers vastrek. licence and their outlets subsequently polisie. Een van die verdagtes is tydensns closed down. Ongeveer dieselfde tyd was polisie en die stryd beseer en is in ’n ’n ander groep afl eweringsvoertuig-rowers ambulans, onder polisie toesig, betrokke in ’n skietery in Sinoville. weggeneem. Sinoville-polisiewoordvoerder adjudant- Die vierde verdagte was steedss offi sier Johan van Dyk sê ’n jaagtog agter soek teen druktyd. die rowers aan vanuit die Wonderboom- “Dit was ’n suksesvolle omgewing het in ’n skietgeveg geëindig in spanpoging en goeie voorbeeld Sefako Makgatho-rylaan (Zambezi). van hoe polisie en ons “Polisielede wat in die omgewing gemeenskap-veiligheidsgroepe gepatrolleer het, kon vinnig op die nood- saam kan werk om misdadigers oproep van die roof reageer,” sê Van Dyk. vas te trek,” sê Visser. Die GPF en veiligheidsmaatskappye het Akasia GPF en ook die polisie bygestaan. veiligheidsdienste bly ook op diee Manie Visser van die Prosec CITR- uitkyk vir die ander groep verdagtesgtes veiligheidsmaatskappy, sê die roof van die wat die afl eweringsvoertuig in afl eweringsvoertuig in Van der Schyff straat Amandasig geteiken het. is oor die GPF-radiostelsel gerapporteer. GPF sektor 2 voorsitter, Paulinana “Van ons voertuie was reeds op die pad Seboloki, vra dat nog inwoners bbetrokkeetrokke en in die onmiddelike omgewing,” vertel moet raak by hul GPF’s. Police minister Bheki Cele addressing Visser. “As ’n gemeenskap moet ons saam staan Levy Mokoena het vinnig gedink tydens die the media. Met polisie en veiligheidspersoneel agter om misdaad te bekamp.” jaagtog. 2 PRETORIA NORTH REKORD MAY 7, 2021 NEWS www.rekord.co.za New system will catch up with DNA testing backlog Reitumetse Mahope “Since then, the SAPS has worked together with the State Information A new DNA system with a track and trace Technology Agency (SITA) to develop functionality has replaced the previous the new system, where samples can system run by the police after enormous be tracked and traced at the click of a backlogs due to a lack of quantifi cation button.” kits. The new forensic system went live Photo: Transnet National police spokesperson Brigadier in April 2021, and has since had about Vish Naidoo said through the forensic 10 million samples from the forensic exhibit management system, “which is laboratory admin system loaded into it. now fully up and running”, the police Naidoo said currently, nearly 25 000 could now speedily tackle challenges new exhibits had also been loaded into Cops bust Transnet such as locating the source and storage of this system. forensic evidence. “The testing for DNA reached Naidoo said that “there is a light at a bottleneck which resulted in an end of the tunnel on the DNA testing accumulative backlog of over 170 000 backlog”. samples.” employees for theft He said the South African police Naidoo said this emanated from the service (SAPS) management confi rmed shortage of quantifi cation kits or so called great strides were being made to “DNA consumables” that are essential for Four more suspects were arrested for copper theft as part of overcome the DNA testing backlog with DNA testing at the SAPS forensic science an ongoing investigation by the Hawks. the new system. laboratories. He said the DNA system, also followed He said the SAPS had fi nalised a two- reports of the “disappearance” of millions year contract with a service provider to Keitumetse Maako they recovered a drum with rolled-up copper of forensic exhibits at the national supply the much-needed consumables. also suspected to have been stolen at the forensic DNA database due to the He said before the quantifi cation kits Four more Transnet employees were arrested same depot,” Ramovha said. property control and exhibit management could be procured from this service for copper theft as part of an ongoing Scrap metal dealers Frans Albert (59) system being shut down by the service provider, the validation of the kits had to investigation by the Hawks on Monday. and Andries Lombard (51) later handed provider in June 2020. be processed. “The four suspects, aged between 34 and themselves over to authorities through their Naidoo said these exhibits had not Naidoo said the process was expected 40, are expected to appear in the Pretoria legal representatives. disappeared, however, were stored in the to conclude in the next two months. magistrate’s court this week,” police “The group, including four Transnet forensic service laboratory administration “In the meantime, the SAPS has spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha said. employees – Mhlaba Dedrick (38), system and could only be accessed procured enough kits on a quotation basis The four employees were based at the Mthembu Xolane (32), Keketso Mokoena manually at the time. to last at least three months.” Koedoespoort depot. (32) and Mokgobokwane Kgothatso (31) – The Hawks’ serious investigation unit who were arrested in a follow-up operation started their investigation earlier this year, on 24 February,” Ramovha said. after it emerged there were several incidents They have since appeared in the Pretoria of copper theft at the said depot. magistrate’s court and are out on bail of “Intelligence gathered revealed that the varying amounts. loot was apparently being sold at scrap metal They were expected back in court on dealers around Pretoria,” Ramovha said. 21 May, pending further investigation. In February, the investigative team Hawks provincial head Major-General arrested three other suspects for possession Ebrahim Kadwa thanked the investigative of suspected stolen copper cables worth team for the breakthrough. about R1.9-million and tampering or He appealed to members of the public damaging essential infrastructure. to report any suspicious activity related “This was after authorities received to essential infrastructure and non-ferrous information about suspects delivering metals. suspected stolen copper wires at a scrapyard At the time of the initial arrests, Transnet in Hercules,” Ramovha said. spokesperson Ayanda Shezi said they have The discovery of stolen copper cables in intensifi ed their fi ght against cable theft. a truck, valued at a “substantial amount”, “Between April 2019 and January 2020, led to the arrest of three suspects, namely we lost 354 227 metres of overhead cables. Andries Harmse (47), Oupa Maluleke (49) This resulted in an average of 21 trains and Martins Fredericks Geyser (60) on the being cancelled per day. In 2020 alone, For Illustration.