Man who 'threatened president, mayor and CEO' appears in Cape Town court
A man who allegedly made threats against the president, a mayor and a company CEO appeared in the Cape Town magistrate's court on Monday.
Phillip Sebelo Masango was arrested by the Hawks on Friday in Germiston on the East Rand. He faces charges of contravening the Cybercrimes Act and assault.
The threats were allegedly directed at President Cyril Ramaphosa, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and a company CEO.
The CEO allegedly received a threatening voice message on May 12.
'In the voice clip the suspect can be heard allegedly threatening to kill the president of South Africa. The complainant further alleged that the suspect sent her several other threatening messages, threatening her and her family as well as the executive mayor of Cape Town,' said Hawks spokesperson Thandi Mbambo.
'The matter and information was reported to the Cape Town-based Hawks' crime against the state (CATS) division for further investigation culminating in the arrest of the suspect in Gauteng.'
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
Bribe-taking NC police officer sentenced to six years
Ex-constable Johannes Shuping was sentenced to six years for soliciting bribes to tamper with a police docket. The Kuruman Regional Court in Northern Cape has sentenced a former police officer to six years' imprisonment for soliciting R10 000 to make a court docket disappear. Ex-constable Johannes Shuping was sentenced after the court convicted him on two counts of corruption from an incident that dates back to 2018. Shuping, then a detective at Kathu police station, re-arrested the complainant, Buti Moepadira, despite his case already being before the court. Former Saps officer jailed for corruption After Shuping arrested Moepadira, the accused offered to 'make the docket disappear' in exchange for R11 000. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the complainant was detained at the Kathu police station due to lack of accommodation in Kuruman. ALSO READ: Police sergeant abuses power, gets 20 years for raping victim inside police station While in detention, Shuping allowed Moepadira to use his cellphone to arrange the payment. 'A R6 000 cash payment was delivered to the accused by the complainant's brother. Shuping continued to demand the outstanding R5 000, prompting Moepadira to report the matter to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks),' Senokoatsane said. In response, the investigating officer launched a sting operation using marked banknotes, as permitted by Section 252A of the Criminal Procedure Act. Caught in Hawks sting after demanding R11k bribe During the operation, Moepadira's brother handed over the remaining R4 000 to the accused. Although the former officer fled the scene, police arrested him a week later at his workplace. 'At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of marked R200 notes, which matched the serial numbers recorded during the operation,' Senokoatsane said. ALSO READ: Bodies of three missing constables identified by families In aggravation of the sentence, Prosecutor Kagontle Redemption Barnett argued that Shuping had grossly abused his position of authority and violated the public trust. As a law enforcement official, he had a duty to uphold the law, but he chose to violate both the Constitution and his oath. A severe punishment will deter similar misconduct and help restore public confidence in the criminal justice system, Barnett emphasised. Six year direct imprisonment The Kuruman Regional Court agreed and sentenced Shuping to six years' direct imprisonment on each count. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, resulting in an effective six-year prison term. The NPA welcomed the conviction and sentence. ALSO READ: Drunken argument over being called 'inkwenkwe' ends in cop getting 15 years for murder 'This outcome reaffirms that no one is above the law and underscores the importance of protecting the integrity of the criminal justice system by holding those who abuse their power accountable,' Senokoatsane said.
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Former constable sentenced to six years for corruption
The Kuruman regional court in the Northern Cape on Friday sentenced former police constable Johannes Shuping to six years' imprisonment after convicting him of corruption. The conviction on two counts of corruption involved R10,000 that Shuping solicited from a member of the public. 'The charges relate to a 2018 incident in which Shuping, then a detective at Kathu police station, rearrested the complainant, Buti Moepadira, despite the case already being before the court,' National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said. After his arrest, Shuping offered to 'make the docket disappear' in exchange for a payment of R11,000. 'Moepadira, who was detained at Kathu police station due to a lack of accommodation in Kuruman, was allowed by Shuping to use his cellphone to arrange the payment. A R6,000 cash payment was delivered to the accused by the complainant's brother.' Shuping continued to demand the outstanding R5,000, prompting Moepadira to report the matter to the Hawks. 'A sting operation was then conducted using marked banknotes provided by the investigating officer. During the operation, the complainant's brother handed over the remaining R4,000 to the accused. Shuping fled the scene but was arrested a week later at his workplace.' At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of marked R200 notes, which matched the serial numbers recorded during the operation. Prosecutor Kagontle Redemption Barnett took over the case after the original prosecutor was appointed to the bench. In aggravation of sentence, she argued that Shuping had grossly abused his position of authority and violated public trust. As a law enforcement officer, he was duty-bound to uphold the law, but instead chose to betray his oath and the constitution. Barnett emphasised that a strong sentence would deter similar conduct and reinforce public confidence in the criminal justice system. The court concurred and sentenced Shuping to six years' imprisonment on each count, with the sentences ordered to run concurrently. 'The NPA welcomes the conviction and sentence. This outcome reaffirms that no one is above the law and underscores the importance of protecting the integrity of the criminal justice system by holding those who abuse their power accountable,' Senokoatsane said.
The Citizen
6 hours ago
- The Citizen
Man caught for impersonating a lawyer in Bethal, must pay back the money
Man caught for impersonating a lawyer in Bethal, must pay back the money A bogus lawyer was instructed yesterday (June 5) to pay back R40 000 that he took from a client in Bethal in 2019. Doctor Sobetha (32) who impersonated a lawyer trying to conduct a bail application for his client charged with murder, pleaded guilty in the Bethal Magistrate's Court. was sentenced to four years imprisonment with an option to pay R20 000 fine. Two of the four years were was suspended for five years on condition that he is not found guilty of a similar offense. The Mpumalanga spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Lieutenant-Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, said the court further ordered Sobetha to pay back R40 000 that was unlawfully received from his client. He is expected to pay back the money in monthly instalments of R3 000 until the last cent is paid up. Sobetha was caught out in 2019 when the state prosecutor in the high-profile murder case picked up from his arguments that something was off. Sobetha could not provide proof when asked before court if he was indeed a legal practitioner. The Secunda based Serious Organised Crime Investigation members who were in court for the pending murder case, arrested Sobetha. The matter was referred to the Hawks Secunda-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation for further investigation. Sobetha fled when he was granted bail in 2024. 'Investigation led members of the Hawks' Tactical Operations Management System (TOMS) to Durban, where Sobetha was arrested on May 22. 'He was brought back to Mpumalanga, where he appeared before Bethal Magistrate's Court on May 30,' said Nkosi. The case was postponed to yesterday. Nkosi said immediately after his sentence was handed down, Sobetha was rearrested for fraud committed in Moroka, Gauteng, in 2023. The Provincial Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Major General Nico Gerber warned people to consult with registered legal advisors. 'It is concerning if people are defrauded by people like Sobetha whose formal education does not even go beyond high school level,' concluded the General. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
