R350 million minerals theft case: Suspects appear in court
Five accused have appeared before the Tlhabane Magistrate’s Court in North West on charges of illegal dealing in unwrought precious metals and theft of unwrought precious metals.
Speaking to IOL, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, confirmed that the accused appeared in court on Wednesday.
“All five accused are still in the dock. The matter was postponed to 29 April 2026,” said Hawks spokesperson in North West, Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula.
He said the accused Claudette du Plessis, George Sambo, Michael du Plessis and Hendrick Viljoen were released on R20,000 bail during a previous court appearance.
The fifth accused, Zimbabwean national Alphigio Tavavinga, was denied bail.
“Tavavinga’s bail application was opposed successfully as he is an undocumented foreign national,” said Mathebula.
In a joint statement issued last year, the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the five also face charges of illegal possession of unwrought precious metals.
The matter relates to suspected platinum group material, a term used by law enforcement pending forensic and metallurgical analysis to determine the exact composition of the minerals. Platinum group metals include platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium.
Unwrought precious minerals refer to valuable minerals that have been extracted from the earth but have not yet been processed, refined or manufactured into finished products. In South African law, the possession, transport, sale or export of such raw precious minerals is tightly regulated and criminalised if done without the required licences or permits, as part of efforts to curb illegal mining, theft from mines and smuggling.
Mathebula previously said the accused were arrested in North West following a coordinated, multi-agency operation.
“The accused were arrested on 7 August 2024, in Rustenburg and Brits by members of North West Hawks in collaboration with KwaZulu-Natal Hawks, DPCI head office’s Tactical Operations Management Section, SAPS Airwing and Digital Forensic Laboratory,” said Mathebula.
Initially, seven suspects were arrested, but two were later released after preliminary investigations failed to link them to the alleged crime.
“Their arrest follows information received about theft of suspected platinum group material at a mine in Rustenburg, estimated at R350 million,” said Mathebula.
“Through collaboration between the Hawks, the Organised Crime Component of the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in North West and the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), the accused were brought before court on the said charges.”
Following the arrests, then North West head of the Hawks, Lieutenant General Patrick Mbotho, and the Director of Public Prosecutions in North West, Dr Rachel Makhari, commended the teams for the “good work”.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
IOL News