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Mail & Guardian
16 hours ago
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
South African firms suspect UAE companies may have obtained military intellectual property
(Wikimedia Commons) Defence company The investigation focuses on employees of at least two defence firms who are suspected of passing military intellectual property (IP) to UAE state-owned companies. 'Paramount Group is cooperating fully with the The OCCRP obtained two briefings from the SIU, which focus mainly on allegations that employees of a second company, One of the documents obtained by the OCCRP was a 2023 presentation to parliament's standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), while the other was a PowerPoint briefing of the SIU's findings in 2025. The SIU declined to answer detailed questions about its investigation, saying that it 'reports only to the president and parliament'. 'Therefore, we cannot make public statements or give comments on ongoing investigations,' a spokesperson added in an email. 'However, it is important to note that evidence indicating criminal conduct has been referred to the National Prosecuting Authority.' Paramount has also launched its own internal investigation to determine whether employees provided intellectual property to a UAE company after a joint venture deal that eventually collapsed. 'Pattern of misconduct' Founded in South Africa in the early 1990s, Paramount is now headquartered in the UAE. The company filed for bankruptcy last year after losing an arbitration case in London against Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments Company (Adasi). Paramount's problems began in 2016 when one of its subsidiaries, Riverston Enterprises Limited, entered into a joint venture deal with Adasi. The joint venture fell apart after Adasi was taken over by another UAE state-owned firm called Edge Group, according to internal records and court documents obtained by the OCCRP. As part of the agreement to set up the joint venture, Adasi had provided Paramount with a loan of $150 million, an internal document from Edge shows. That money was meant to cover the costs of creating the joint venture company in the UAE, and transferring the intellectual property behind Paramount's reconnaissance plane, which the new company would transform into an armed strike aircraft called the MWARI. Both Adasi and Paramount agree that the intellectual property was never transferred to the UAE as planned. Now Paramount says it is no longer legally obligated to transfer the intellectual property, but Adasi says it has the rights to the information under the arbitration ruling. Neither the Edge Group, which owns Adasi, nor its public relations representatives responded to requests for comment. But a legal document filed by Adasi in Paramount's bankruptcy case provides insight into its position. In the legal filing, Adasi argued that Paramount's bankruptcy case was a stall tactic meant to give the company time to move its assets so they could not be transferred. Those included the 'potentially valuable intellectual property assets', which had been 'granted to Adasi'. The filing states that Paramount said it declared bankruptcy because it could not afford to pay the penalty ordered by the arbitration board. That penalty totalled $230 million, and included the $150 million that was to cover the transfer of intellectual property for its aircraft to the UAE. Paramount's South African lawyer, Lauth, told the OCCRP that the intellectual property of the MWARI aircraft 'remains wholly governed by South African law and has not been externalised to the UAE, Adasi, EDGE or any related entity'. Intellectual property used exclusively for military purposes is often not patented, because doing so would make the designs accessible to competitors and hostile actors. Instead, such property is considered a 'sovereign asset' overseen by the government, according to experts including Vanessa du Toit who previously ran the National Conventional Arms Control Committee, which oversees South Africa's military technology and arms exports. Lauth said the research and design behind the MWARI was 'not the only intellectual property that was allegedly targeted'. 'Our clients have identified a broader pattern of misconduct involving multiple Paramount-developed platforms,' she told the OCCRP. In a leaked document from the arbitration case, Paramount founder Ivor Ichikowitz said the deal was based on Adasi ordering 5 000 armoured vehicles, and 6 000 'loitering munitions', which are drones built to explode on impact. In the end, only four trucks and 500 drones were ordered by the company. 'In hindsight, it now appears that the presentations and solutions we presented may have been used by … staff to benchmark other defence projects underway at the time in other organisations in the UAE,' Ichikowitz said, according to a leaked affidavit from the arbitration case. Ichikowitz declined to provide comment to reporters. Martie Baumgardt, a senior executive, told the OCCRP the firm is also carrying out its own internal investigation. She said the company is looking into the 'possible theft of IP from Paramount by individuals who left the company, which may conceivably have ended up in the UAE'. According to Baumgardt, after the joint venture with the UAE partner broke down, 45 Paramount employees joined Edge Group companies. A leaked document from Paramount's internal investigation also alleges that 57 laptops and 10 hard drives were stolen from 2016 — the year Paramount's subsidiary entered the joint venture with Adasi — to 2024, when it lost the arbitration case. The Denel affair Meanwhile, the Denel case dates back to 2012, when South Africa's state-owned arms manufacturer entered into a joint venture with a UAE firm, then known as Tawazun Operation Company LLC. Under the agreement, the two firms established a new company based in the UAE called Tawazun Dynamics LLC. According to the 2023 briefing to Scopa, the joint venture was initially intended to manufacture and supply Denel missiles to the UAE Air Force, and 'future customers'. At first, the partnership appeared to be a success. Other deals were soon struck, in which Denel would also provide a UAE defence company called NIMR Automotive LLC with RG35 Military Vehicle IP and hardware. But the relationship began to sour. 'It is alleged that the IP belonging to the institution was misappropriated in cohesive criminal conduct to abet foreign state companies,' the SIU said in its 2023 briefing, referring to allegations brought by Denel. In its investigation, the SIU found evidence suggesting that Denel employees may have accessed intellectual property without permission. In one instance, SIU investigators found that 'data packs' relating to missile technology had been downloaded from Denel's system after a request from Halcon, another arms company owned by Edge Group, according to the 2023 briefing. That briefing also outlines a case reported by Denel to the SIU, which involved intellectual property for a military vehicle. The SIU noted that contracts had been signed with NIMR by a Denel employee who was not authorised to do so. 'This official later resigned and informed Denel that he was offered a senior position by NIMR,' the briefing says. Denel reported that it had later received a letter from the chief executive of NIMR, who had previously worked for Denel, demanding intellectual property for a military vehicle. The joint venture company Tawazun Dynamics is today called Al Tariq and — like NIMR — it is owned by Edge Group, which did not respond to questions about alleged attempts to transfer intellectual property from Denel. The NIMR chief executive was one of more than 300 Denel staff who left the company and went to work in the UAE's arms sector, according to a summary of a South African parliamentary discussion in February. Gloria Serobe, chair of the Denel board, told the parliamentary committee that so many Denel employees had left for UAE firms that 'board meetings were done in Afrikaans'. This story was first published by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
Eyewitness News
a day ago
- Eyewitness News
NPA welcomes life sentence handed to elderly man convicted of raping girl (6)
JOHANNESBURG - The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has welcomed the life sentence handed down to a 79-year-old man convicted of raping a 6-year-old girl. Johannes Kotze assaulted the girl in 2019 at a commune where the child lived with her mother. Kotze pleaded not guilty, denying the rape and alleging that the child's parents fabricated the case. The Pretoria Magistrates Court has also further ordered that Kotze's name be added on the national register for sex offenders. The NPA said that the conviction underscored its commitment to protecting society's most vulnerable. Spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana: "The NPA urges communities to remain vigilant and report GBV and child abuse promptly. Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs) stand ready to provide medical, psychological, and legal support to survivors."
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Pretoria pensioner sentenced to life for raping girl (6)
A 79-year-old Pretoria man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted of raping a six-year-old girl, with the court also declaring him unfit to work with children or own a firearm. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the Pretoria North Magistrates' Court handed down the life imprisonment sentence to Johannes Jacobus Christiaan Kotze. 'Kotze also received five years each for two counts of sexual assault, to run concurrently with the life sentence. 'The court further ordered that his name be added to the National Register for Sex Offenders and declared him unfit to work with children and unfit to possess a firearm.' She said Kotze rented a room at a commune where the six-year-old girl was staying with her mother. 'The victim referred to him as 'Oupa' even though they were not biologically related. Mahanjana said the mother found her child in Kotze's room on October 3, 2019 when she searched for her but could not find her where she was supposed to be playing. 'When she entered, he immediately pulled his hands away from the child, which brought made the mother suspicious.' The mother took the child out of the room and questioned her. 'The child then disclosed to her mother that Kotze had raped her by digitally penetrating her, touching her private parts, and forcing her to touch him,' said Mahanjana. 'The child further revealed that these acts were not isolated incidents. The mother immediately reported the matter to the police, leading to Kotze's arrest on October 24 2019.' Kotze pleaded not guilty, denying the rape and alleging the child fabricated the case due to a dispute over their tenancy at the commune. However, State Prosecutor Hanlie Du Preez presented compelling evidence, including the victim's testimony and corroborating reports, proving Kotze's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Mahanjana said during sentencing, Kotze sought leniency, citing his age and ill health. 'Du Preez countered that his lack of remorse, the gruesome nature of the crime, and its lasting trauma on the victim, who continues to suffer nightmares, warranted no deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment. She argued that age alone could not excuse such a heinous act.' Regional Court Magistrate Piet Nel agreed with the state, stating that rape is a scourge in our society, and the absence of remorse aggravates this crime; therefore, he found no substantial or compelling circumstances to justify leniency; he imposed life imprisonment, reinforcing the judiciary's stance against GBV. The NPA urges communities to remain vigilant and report GBV and child abuse promptly. Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs) stand ready to provide medical, psychological, and legal support to survivors. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Pretoria pensioner sentenced to life for raping six-year-old girl
A 79-year-old Pretoria pensioner will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted of raping a 6-year-old girl, with the court imposing a life sentence and declaring him unfit to work with children or own a firearm. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the Pretoria North Magistrates' Court handed down the life imprisonment sentence to Johannes Jacobus Christiaan Kotze, a 79-year-old. 'Kotze also received five years each for two counts of sexual assault, to run concurrently with the life sentence. 'The court further ordered that his name be added to the National Register for Sex Offenders and declared him unfit to work with children and unfit to possess a firearm.' She said Kotze rented a room at a commune where the six-year-old girl was staying with her mother. 'The victim referred to him as Oupa even though they were not biologically related. 'On October 03, 2019, the mother of the child had a feeling that something was wrong with her child and needed to look for her. 'When she could not find the child where she was supposed to be playing, she went to look for her in Kotze's room. When she entered, he immediately pulled his hands away from the child, which brought suspicion to the mother.' The mother then grabbed the child and took her to their room, where she questioned her. 'The child then disclosed to her mother that Kotze had raped her by digitally penetrating her, touching her private parts, and forcing her to touch him. 'The child further revealed that these acts were not isolated incidents. The mother immediately reported the matter to the police, leading to Kot on October 24 2019.' Kotze pleaded not guilty, denying the rape and alleging the child fabricated the case due to a dispute over their tenancy at the commune. However, State Prosecutor Hanlie Du Preez presented compelling evidence, including the victim's testimony and corroborating reports, proving Kotze'silt beyond a reasonable doubt. Mahanjana said during sentencing, Kotze sought leniency, citing his age and ill health. 'Du Preez countered that his lack of remorse, the gruesome nature of the crime, and its lasting trauma on the victim, who continues to suffer nightmares, warranted no deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment. She argued that age alone could not excuse such a heinous act.' Regional Court Magistrate Piet Nel agreed with the state, stating that rape is a scourge in our society, and the absence of remorse aggravates this crime; therefore, he found no substantial or compelling circumstances to justify leniency; he imposed life imprisonment, reinforcing the judiciary's stance against GBV. The NPA urges communities to remain vigilant and report GBV and child abuse promptly. Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs) stand ready to provide medical, psychological, and legal support to survivors. 'This case highlights the critical role of caregivers, like the victims, in exposing abuse and seeking justice.' Also read: Here are the most dangerous suburbs in Pretoria Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ 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. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
South African woman gets a life sentence for selling
A judge in South Africa sentenced a woman to life in prison Thursday after she was convicted of selling her 6-year-old daughter, who is still missing, in a case that has captivated and horrified South Africans. The woman, Racquel Smith, 35, sat stoically as the judge handed down the sentence after a three-month trial in a town on South Africa's west coast. The mother and two men were found guilty earlier this month of kidnapping and trafficking her eldest child, Joshlin Smith, for exploitation. 'The accused did not show remorse,' the judge, Nathan Erasmus, said Thursday, adding that up until the eve of sentencing, the mother 'still lied.' The two men were also sentenced Thursday to life in prison, the minimum penalty for kidnapping and enslavement of children in South Africa. The girl disappeared in February 2024 from a shack she shared with her mother, two siblings, and her mother's boyfriend in the seaside town of Saldanha Bay, on the country's west coast. The police, naval officers and members of the community combed the town, but the girl was never found. A photograph of the girl was plastered all over town, and then on national news outlets. Two weeks into the search, the police arrested her mother; her mother's boyfriend, Jacquin Appollis; and a friend of the couple, Steveno van Rhyn. Prosecutors said the mother was addicted to drugs and had sold the girl for 20,000 rand, about $1,100. Public interest in the case was so high that court proceedings were held in a community center in Saldanha Bay and broadcast on national television. During the trial, the mother and the two other suspects declined to testify. On May 2, when they were convicted, a judge ruled the girl had been sold into slavery. Prosecutors argued for a life sentence, urging the judge to consider that the child was still missing. 'We do not have her, we do not know where she is, but that is why the state has provided evidence to give her a voice, as she is not in court,' Eric Ntabazalila, a spokesperson for South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority, said in a statement. Many questions about the case persist. But Smith has steadfastly declined to divulge any information about her daughter's disappearance, even after the pleas of the girl's paternal grandmother, Rita Yon. Joshlin's two younger siblings often asked after their sister, Yon said. 'We are still missing Joshlin,' Yon told the TV channel Newzroom Afrika after the sentencing on Thursday. 'It doesn't feel nice not knowing where she is, what she eats or drinks, and how the people who have her treat her.' This article originally appeared in
