
NPA wins appeal in R25m Nulane fraud case
An acting Judge discharged the accused in the R25-million fraud and money laundering trial in April 2023.
The accused discharged in the section 174 application include Iqbal Sharma and his company, Nulane Investment.
Several Free State officials and Ronica Ragavan, worked for Island-site Investment, owned by the Gupta family.
This judgment paves the way for the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption to reinstate the case.
Sharma, his brother-in-law, Dinesh Patel, and several others were accused of defrauding the Free State government.
Nulane was appointed irregularly to conduct a feasibility study for a dairy farm
NPA Welcomes the SCA Judgment Upholding IDAC's Appeal in Nulane Corruption Case pic.twitter.com/xw7hzsFkf2
— NPASouthAfrica (@NPA_Prosecutes) June 12, 2025

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
Life sentence for child rapist in Ottosdal case
A North West court sentenced one man to life for raping a 13-year-old Ottosdal girl, while his accomplice received eight years for kidnapping. The Atamelang Regional Court sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping a 13-year-old girl from Ottosdal, North West, while his accomplice got eight years. The court found 30-year-old Mohau Jan Mogale and 29-year-old Thabo Isaac Molusi guilty of rape and kidnapping in connection with a 10 November 2017 incident. Mogale and Molusi accosted the 13-year-old girl while she was walking home. Girl taken to house and locked into bedroom Investigators revealed that Mogale grabbed the girl by the hand while Molusi threatened her with an empty beer crate. The duo ordered the victim to accompany them by force. The court heard that the girl was taken to a house in a section called Iraq in Ottosdal and was locked inside the bedroom. More investigations revealed that both men had left the house. 'He then ordered the victim to take off her clothes, and she refused. Molusi then forcefully undressed the victim and raped her throughout the night,' said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Sivenathi Gunya. ALSO READ: Man who raped and murdered Amantle Samane to be sentenced after admitting guilt Molusi left her in the room the following day, and she was able to return home. On her way home, the girl met her uncle and sister, who were searching for her. The girl's relatives informed the victim's mother; a case was opened, and both men were identified and arrested. In court, both men pleaded not guilty but were convicted based on overwhelming evidence presented by the prosecution. The Atamelang Regional Court convicted Mogale of kidnapping and Molusi of rape and kidnapping. Kidnapping and rape convictions Advocate Edward Manicus underlined the high rate of gender-based violence and the vulnerability of women and children in South Africa in the aggravation of the sentence. Manicus also presented two victim impact statements from the victim and her mother, detailing the physical and psychological trauma they suffered. He urged the court to impose the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment to protect society, especially vulnerable members like children. ALSO READ: Father accused of raping and impregnating daughter denied bail In his ruling, Magistrate Stephan Du Toit stressed the demoralising and humiliating impact of rape on victims and emphasised the courts' duty to protect them. Mogale was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment for kidnapping, and Molusi received life imprisonment for rape and an additional eight years for kidnapping. Name included in national register for sexual offenders The court ordered that Molusi's name be included in the National Register for Sexual Offenders and declared him unfit to possess a firearm. The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Rachel Makhari, welcomed the sentences and commended the dedication of Manicus and others involved in securing the conviction. 'This sentence serves as a crucial deterrent against perpetrators of gender-based violence in our country,' said Makhari. 'We must continue to ensure justice for victims and take a firm stance against such heinous acts.' NOW READ: Four-year-old from Eldorado Park dies after alleged abuse by father


The Citizen
5 hours ago
- The Citizen
Councillor demands metro fixes traffic lights before lives are lost
Ward 83 councillor, Andrew Lesch, has launched a petition demanding urgent action from the metro to address the dangerous neglect of traffic lights in his ward. With more than 100 signatures from concerned residents, the petition highlights repeated failures in maintenance that have reportedly already led to serious and fatal accidents. Lesch warned that, within Ward 83 alone, several traffic lights remain unrepaired after vehicle collisions, including intersections at: – Mante Road (previously called 'Mantis' Road), – Garstfontein and Lois Road – Garstfontein and January Masilela Road – Nossob and Jochemus Street – Delmas and Nossob Street. Lesch also said that beyond lights, critical warning signs such as chevrons and road markings are missing, especially at Rubenstein and Rutgers Streets in Moreleta Park, which he identified as the most notorious of the affected locations. He added that inadequate street lighting compounds the safety risks, arguing that residents of his ward cannot be further exposed to unnecessary and preventable dangers caused by the lack of service delivery by the metro. 'The petition calls for immediate replacement of the missing traffic lights and signage and proper maintenance as required by law.' In response, metro spokesperson. Lindela Mashigo said reference numbers for the petition exist in the system, but there is no clear record of when the issues were first lodged, so their initial lodgement dates remain undetermined. He added that no road safety risk assessments have been carried out regarding the missing signage. On the financial side, Mashigo explained that the metro does not allocate maintenance budgets per ward. 'Instead, the metro receives a collective allocation of approximately R6.6-million to maintain all 1 014 signalised intersections across the metro.' When asked which intersections in Ward 83 are scheduled for repair and their timelines, Mashigo provided the following status updates, as of August 12: – Garstfontein and [Mantis] Road, where a pole is missing, has been made safe and operational, and pole replacement was scheduled for August 12–15 – At Garstfontein and Lois Road, two totem poles are down, but the site has been made safe, and removal of the old poles was also scheduled for August 12–15 – Garstfontein and January Masilela Road has a skewed pole, which has been made safe and operational, but replacement awaits the awarding of a materials tender – Nossob and Jochemus Street has a missing overhead pole; it has been made safe, but the replacement similarly awaits a tender award – At Delmas and Nossob, a pole has been cut down, likely stolen, but again the site is made safe, and the replacement awaits a tender award – Solomon Mahlangu Road and Lois Avenue has a skewed pole made safe, but replacement is pending the same tender process – At Solomon Mahlangu and January Masilela Road, an accident-damaged pole has been made safe and awaits replacement through the same tendering procedures. Asked if any of these intersections are part of any broader upgrade works, Mashigo said that none from the traffic signal unit are scheduled for inclusion. He said the initial damage was caused by vehicle collisions, yet no further accidents have been reported at those sites since the intersections were made operational again. 'The metro traffic signal teams respond daily to minor damages to ensure intersections remain safe. 'Major repairs, including full pole replacements or trenching for cable replacements, require additional funding and labour and are often paused until minor faults are addressed due to limitations in manpower and resources. 'Supply chain processes are underway to appoint outsourced service providers for additional labour and to supply the necessary materials for traffic light and signage restoration.' Mashigo said to prevent further delays and restore safety, the traffic signals maintenance team prioritises isolating faults and making intersections safe. ALSO READ: Atteridgeville crime sweep nets hundreds of suspects for various crimes Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.

TimesLIVE
6 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Eldorado Park parents on trial for daughter's murder abandon bail bid
The Eldorado Park parents arrested after the murder of their four-year-old daughter have decided not to apply for bail. The accused appeared in the Protea magistrate's court in Soweto on Monday. The prosecution said they had decided to withdraw their bail applications and the case was postponed to October 9 for further investigation. The father is charged with murder, rape, compelled rape, child abuse and assault, while the mother is charged with failure to immediately report a sexual offence against a minor child. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said the accused previously appeared separately as two dockets were being investigated. 'After further investigations the mother was also arrested. It is alleged the mother knew about the sexual assault but failed to report to the authorities, as per duty in terms of the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Act,' she said.