Latest news with #ToyotaQuantum
The Citizen
5 days ago
- The Citizen
Trio convicted for gruesome farm attack in Eastern Cape
The accused tortured a farm owner by binding him, scalding him with hot water, and threatening to dismember him with a chainsaw. Three people who tortured a farm owner by binding him, scalding him with hot water, and threatening to dismember him with a chainsaw in the Eastern Cape have been convicted following the gruesome farm attack. The trio, 26-year-old Odwa Dyabana, 29-year-old Luthando Ngangelizwe and 31-year-old Siseko Qhayisa, were found guilty by the Eastern Cape High Court sitting in East London. The farm attack occurred on 20 February 2024 at Lorain Farm in Bluewater, within the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. Conviction on multiple charges The three were found guilty on multiple counts, including robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted murder, pointing of a firearm, five counts of kidnapping, four counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition. In addition, Dyabana was convicted of culpable homicide and reckless and negligent driving in a fatal motor vehicle collision that occurred during their attempt to flee. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said a fourth suspect, 26-year-old Lundi Magobongo, who had also been charged, was acquitted. 'This is after the court accepted his version that he was a contracted e-hailing driver who merely transported the accused and found that there was no evidence linking him directly to the commission of the crimes'. ALSO READ: Four arrested for Free State farm murder, kidnapped wife rescued The farm attack During the trial, the court heard how the trio arrived at the farm under the pretence of wanting to buy dogs. Once they had gained the trust of the farm owner, they lured him to the kennels using his Toyota Land Cruiser. There, they produced firearms, tied him up, and returned to the farmhouse, where they continued their robbery. Tyali said the farm owner and four employees were assaulted, kidnapped, and held hostage during the ordeal. 'The attackers tortured the farm owner by binding him, scalding him with hot water, and threatening to dismember him with a chainsaw in an attempt to force him to reveal the location of safe keys. Accused fled the crime scene 'When their efforts to access the safes failed, the assailants used tools to dislodge them from the walls, loaded them onto the stolen Land Cruiser, and fled the scene in a convoy that included the victim's Toyota Hilux,' Tiyali said. Tiyali said the stolen goods, which included the two vehicles, rifles, wedding rings, wristwatches, binoculars, and other valuables, were valued at more than R2.2 million 'As the accused fled the scene, a collision occurred on the N2 near Beacon Bay between the Land Cruiser, a Toyota Quantum and VW Polo, during which a woman sustained spinal injuries and later passed away in hospital. 'The remainder of the 15 passengers sustained minor to severe injuries. Dyabana was also convicted of her death,' Tiyali said. Arrest near crime scene Dyabana and Ngangelizwe were apprehended near the scene during the getaway — Ngangelizwe after falling from the back of the Land Cruiser, and Dyabana while trying to flee on foot. 'Qhayisa evaded arrest at the time but was captured a few days later. 'The accused pleaded not guilty to all charges. Sentencing proceedings are scheduled to take place from 1 to 4 July 2025 at the East London High Court,' Tiyali said. The NPA said it will 'pray for the court' to impose harsh sentences for the crimes. ALSO READ: Calls to address farm murders after Trump meeting [VIDEO]
The Herald
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald
Armed robbers steal state-owned Quantum from Eastern Cape Treasury
Police are searching for two armed robbers who tied up a security guard and stole a state-owned Toyota Quantum minibus from the Treasury offices in Bhisho in the Eastern Cape. The heist was carried out in the early hours of Monday. 'According to reports, two unidentified African male suspects, both armed and wearing balaclavas, entered the guardroom where a security officer was on duty. The first suspect threatened the security officer with a firearm, demanding keys to a state-owned Toyota Quantum minibus parked outside. The officer informed the suspect he did not have the keys,' said police spokesperson Brig Nobuntu Gantana. During the confrontation a second armed suspect entered the room and the security guard was restrained with cable ties. 'Shortly after, the officer observed the second suspect driving away in the vehicle (registration GGL 242 EC). The first suspect then seized the occurrence book register from the scene before fleeing in the stolen Quantum with his accomplice.' The guard was not injured. Arrests have yet to be made. Anyone who can assist police in their investigation is urged to contact the Bhisho SAPS or Crime Stop at 08600-10111. Anonymous tip-offs may be shared via the MySAPSapp. TimesLIVE
TimesLIVE
03-06-2025
- General
- TimesLIVE
Armed robbers steal state-owned Quantum from Eastern Cape Treasury
Police are searching for two armed robbers who tied up a security guard and stole a state-owned Toyota Quantum minibus from the Treasury offices in Bhisho in the Eastern Cape. The heist was carried out in the early hours of Monday. 'According to reports, two unidentified African male suspects, both armed and wearing balaclavas, entered the guardroom where a security officer was on duty. The first suspect threatened the security officer with a firearm, demanding keys to a state-owned Toyota Quantum minibus parked outside. The officer informed the suspect he did not have the keys,' said police spokesperson Brig Nobuntu Gantana. During the confrontation a second armed suspect entered the room and the security guard was restrained with cable ties. 'Shortly after, the officer observed the second suspect driving away in the vehicle (registration GGL 242 EC). The first suspect then seized the occurrence book register from the scene before fleeing in the stolen Quantum with his accomplice.' The guard was not injured. Arrests have yet to be made. Anyone who can assist police in their investigation is urged to contact the Bhisho SAPS or Crime Stop at 08600-10111. Anonymous tip-offs may be shared via the MySAPSapp.
The Citizen
22-05-2025
- The Citizen
Court seizes assets in alleged R5m Mpumalanga PPE fraud case
While many people were affected by Covid-19 in 2020, a Mpumalanga Department of Health official allegedly financially benefited from personal protective equipment (PPE) funding. Mpumalanga News reports that this has resulted in a high court preservation order for the forfeiture of a property and three vehicles, amounting to millions of rands, against the people involved. Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Colonel Magonseni Nkosi says a former secretary in the provincial health department, Sanele Sanderson, allegedly colluded with two service providers in faking the purchasing and delivery of the PPE. 'The director's secretary engaged herself in alleged fraudulent activities that led to the department suffering a loss of about R5m in 2020,' says Nkosi. 'As a result, the service providers unlawfully benefited from the products that were never delivered,' he adds. He says Sanderson's alleged actions resulted in the service providers receiving payment and buying a residential property worth R1.5m in Barberton. The house was registered under the name of a company called Zanderson Establishment, of which the sole director was Sanderson's daughter, Yolanda Sanderson. 'The property was later sold for the same amount. Shortly afterwards, the family bought another residential property in Sunninghill, Johannesburg. The house was then registered in [the name of] a company named SS Umoya, directed by the former secretary, Sanele Sanderson,' says Nkosi. He says investigations conducted by the Hawks resulted in the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court, sitting in Mbombela, ordering the forfeiture of the Sunninghill house and three vehicles on Tuesday. 'The forfeited house is estimated to be valued at R1.5m and the three vehicles, owned by the two service providers, a Toyota Quantum, a Hyundai light delivery vehicle and a VW Golf, are estimated to have a combined value of R1m,' Nkosi adds. The provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major General Nico Gerber, says criminal investigations are ongoing. 'Benefits derived from proceeds of crime will be traced, restrained, forfeited and sold to recoup the state's losses. 'This is a clear example of law enforcement entities working in collaboration with one another. The Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority and the Asset Investigation Section of the Hawks collaborated and ensured the successful forfeiture. This must send a stern message that we will seize assets, no matter how they are disguised, if bought through proceeds of crime. Crime must not pay,' he adds. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
21-05-2025
- IOL News
Hawks seize luxury home and cars linked to R5 million PPE fraud
The head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, Major General Nico Gerber, said law enforcement is determined to recover public funds lost through corruption. The Hawks have swooped in on assets worth over R2.5 million linked to a former senior Mpumalanga health department official accused of pocketing millions through a fraudulent personal protective equipment (PPE) deal during the Covid-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, the Mpumalanga High Court in Mbombela granted the elite crime-fighting unit a preservation order to seize a house in the upscale suburb of Sunninghill, Johannesburg, and three vehicles — a Toyota Quantum, a Hyundai truck, and a VW Golf — all believed to have been bought using money from the dodgy deal. The seized home is valued at R1.5 million, while the vehicles are collectively worth around R1 million. The case is part of a wider investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) into PPE corruption, which has uncovered that R13.3 billion out of the R30.7 billion spent by the government during the pandemic is under scrutiny for irregularities. According to police, the corruption traces back to 2020, at the height of the pandemic, when emergency procurement led to irregular PPE tenders. One such deal involved a R5 million contract in which payments were made, but the goods were either never delivered or grossly overpriced. Investigators from the Hawks revealed that after one such payment, a residential property worth R1.5 million was purchased in Barberton, Mpumalanga. The property was registered under a company named Zanderson Establishment, whose sole director was Yolanda Sanderson, daughter of the former health department secretary, Sanele Sanderson.
