Ralph Stanfield R1 billion housing tender fraud: Police vow investigation is still ative
Alleged leader of the 28s gang, Ralph Stanfield.
Image: Willem Law/File
Police in the Western Cape said their investigation into alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield and others remains on course.
This, despite the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) provisionally withdrawing commercial charges against the group on Friday, May 23.
The charges related to a R1 billion housing tender fraud case.
The group who saw the charges withdrawn included Stanfield, his wife, Nicole Johnson, former City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for human settlements Malusi Booi, and seven others.
The scandal escalated during Booi's term in office, as accusations emerged that he, along with the Stanfields, had manipulated housing tenders to benefit companies under their influence. The allegations suggested a web of corruption aimed at misappropriating public funds intended for housing development.
Malusi Booi appears in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
The Western Cape police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, said this is not uncommon in complex investigations for the direction of the investigation to change in recognition of new and additional information that emerges as part of the investigation.
'It is not uncommon in complex investigations for the direction of the investigation to change in recognition of new and additional information that emerges as part of the investigation. Even in this case, when the commercial crimes investigators became privy to new information, that had to be incorporated into the investigation. Suffice it to indicate that it is envisaged that the commercial charges provisionally withdrawn will be reinstated in due course,' Potelwa said.
Police have assured that the charges being provisionally withdrawn in no way indicate a failure on the part of investigators.
'Rather, a change in direction, taking into account the legal framework within which, as a law enforcement agency, the SAPS is compelled to operate,' Potelwa said.
Western Cape for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, explained why the charges were provisionally withdrawn.
'Police discovered new evidence during their investigation, and it is apposite at this stage to provisionally withdraw the 16 commercial charges against the accused pending the finalisation of the investigation stemming from the newfound evidence. The State will reinstate the charges once the investigation has been finalised,' he said.
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But resilience alone is not liberation. South Africa must move beyond survival strategies and confront the systemic exploitation that makes such resistance necessary. The money in the sock is a temporary fix; what drivers truly need is a future where they no longer have to hide their earnings just to survive. Until then, the taxi ranks will remain spaces of quiet defiance where the rustle of a sock speaks louder than any protest chant and where the struggle for dignity continues, one hidden rand at a time. DM Dr Siyabulela Christopher Fobosi is a senior researcher at the University of Fort Hare, where he contributes to advancing interdisciplinary human rights research and education. He is an internationally recognised and experienced sociologist in public transport matters. This article is based on research conducted across several major taxi ranks in Johannesburg, where more than 50 interviews were carried out with taxi drivers, marshals and owners. Several peer-reviewed journal articles based on this research have been published and are available on Google Scholar.
