Suspect to appear in court for threats against president and Cape Town mayor
Western Cape Hawks spokesperson Brig Thandi Mbambo said the Hawks' Crime Against The State (CATS) unit made the arrest on Friday.
'On Monday May 12, a complainant, who is the CEO of a Cape Town-based company, allegedly received a voice message from the suspect, in which threats were made against the president. The suspect is also alleged to have sent multiple threatening messages targeting the complainant, her family and the mayor of Cape Town.'
The suspect is being transported to Cape Town and is expected to appear in court on Monday where he will face a charge of intimidation.
Hashtags

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

The Herald
2 hours ago
- The Herald
State to oppose bail for Kariega kidnapping accused
One of two men arrested by the Hawks in connection with the kidnapping of Theresa Minnie, 73, from her Kariega home last week, appeared in the town's magistrate's court on Tuesday. The 31-year-old faces charges of kidnapping and extortion. His co-accused is expected to make his first court appearance on Wednesday. The police have not yet released the names of the accused due to the sensitivity of the matter. The two men allegedly forced Minnie out of her vehicle on the morning of August 11. She was then bundled into their getaway vehicle and they fled the scene. A ransom demand was later made for her release. Following a week of intense operations, Minnie was released physically unharmed near the Kariega police station on Saturday and reunited with her family. Shortly thereafter, the Hawks arrested two suspects in Gqeberha. During the arrests, the team also confiscated the suspects' vehicles, firearms and a large sum of cash. The state has already indicated that it is opposed to bail. The first accused is expected back in court on Wednesday, when he will appear alongside his co-accused. The Herald


Mail & Guardian
2 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
Hawks bust rhino trafficking syndicate linked to 964 horns
The Hawks has cracked a transnational wildlife trafficking syndicate at the centre of one of South Africa's biggest rhino horns fraud schemes. Photo: Supplied The Six suspects — five men aged 49 to 84 and a 60-year-old woman — handed themselves over to the Hawks' wildlife trafficking section in Sunnyside, Pretoria, on Tuesday. They appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on charges of fraud, theft, contravention of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act and possible racketeering and money laundering. The investigation began in 2017 and uncovered a sophisticated scheme in which the suspects allegedly defrauded the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment to secure permits under false pretences, Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Singo said. The permits were used to purchase and sell rhino horn domestically — while illegally funnelling them into Southeast Asian markets. 'The identified fraudulent permits scheme accounts for an estimated 964 rhino horns with an estimated value of millions of rands,' said Singo. Under South African law, domestic trade in rhino horn is legal with valid permits, but international commercial trade is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Singo said investigators uncovered how the department had been 'defrauded by a well-designed scheme' that allowed the syndicate to participate in international illegal markets. Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister 'This complex investigation, which was also supported by the Green Scorpions and the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority], is a powerful demonstration of South Africa's resolve to protect its natural heritage,' he said. 'The illegal trade in rhino horn not only destroys biodiversity but also undermines the rule of law. Let there be no doubt: South Africa will bring the full force of its laws against those who plunder our wildlife. This arrest proves that syndicates cannot escape justice, no matter how complex their schemes.' The minister said the Hawks' breakthrough was evidence of real progress in dismantling international networks responsible for driving rhino poaching. 'We will not rest until we have broken the back of the syndicates operating in our country,' George added.

IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
Commander-in-Chief asleep at the wheel
South Africa faces unprecedented challenges under President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose leadership is marred by scandals and inaction. From the Phala Phala scandal to rising lawlessness, Lance Witten explores the implications of a leader seemingly out of touch with reality. Image: Dall-E 3 South Africa is spiralling into chaos under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa. Here is a leader who has stumbled from one embarrassing crisis to another, fumbling the ball, seemingly fiddling while Pretoria burns. Most infamous among Ramaphosa's foibles was his handling of the break-in at his Phala Phala home, a scandal for which he has so far escaped accountability. We've never gotten to the bottom of the hundreds of thousands of dollars stashed in couches and other furniture that adorn his Limpopo game farm, with investigations and reports into the matter either conveniently clearing the president of any wrongdoing, or having had their adoption and public release blocked by political machinery. I assume one of the shady deals made to include the DA in the Government of National Collusion– erm, Unity was for the centre-right party to drop the matter. But it's not just Phala Phala that taints Cyril's "legacy" – his complicity in the 2012 Marikana Massacre prior to him taking up the highest office in the land is another thing he's never faced the music for. Now, as South Africa's president, Cyril Ramaphosa has fallen asleep at the wheel. Ramaphosa's military chief, General Rudzani Maphwanya goes on an ostensibly unsanctioned visit to Iran to meet his army counterpart, placing further strain on tensions between the US and South Africa. The visit was a clear disjunct with South Africa's foreign policy. Did Ramaphosa not know General Maphwanya was visiting Iran? Does the president not receive a daily security briefing? Is he not the Commander-in-Chief? Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading In July, Navy Admiral Monde Lobese launched a scathing attack against the Treasury, accusing it of sabotaging the operational capacity of the SANDF through inadequate budget allocations. Also in July, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, KZN Police Commissioner, held a press briefing dressed in Special Task Force fatigues, dropping bomb shells about corruption and interference in police investigations at the highest level of SAPS management, right up to the Police Minister. All this happens on Ramaphosa's watch, and he does... nothing? Does he even know what's going on? Ramaphosa admitted in April 2022 to the commission investigating the 2021 civil unrest and riots that cost the South African economy R50 billion (with a "B), that there was a failure of Crime Intelligence leading up those eight fateful days in July. Riots that happened on his watch. Surely such a failure would not be allowed to repeat itself by our Commander-in-Chief? Nope, fast forward to July 2025 and we have vigilante group March and March actively preventing South African citizens from entering public healthcare facilities, in full view of the police, emboldened by the fact that some of them—whose actions are illegal and resulted in their arrest—were let off with a warning. March and March continues to operate illegally, demanding people present ID documents to enter public healthcare facilities. The security cluster is "monitoring the situation", while the Commander-in-Chief holds a National Dialogue costing the country millions.