File picture: AP, Monica and Ali Almazni
THE THIRD SAPS official implicated in a suspected vehicle syndicate has been released on R10,000 bail after appearing in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court.
The accused, Sergeant OB Goshupelwang, who is attached to the Hartswater police station, was arrested by the Northern Cape Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit on January 8 on charges of fraud and theft.
He appeared in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on January 9.
Goshupelwang is the sixth accused to be added to the case.
It is alleged that the accused seized vehicles worth an estimated R2.5 million in Kimberley with the intention of selling them in the city and the Free State. The vehicles include a Jeep Cherokee, BMW, Porsche, and Kia Rio.
It is alleged that vehicles seized by the accused, which were not reported as stolen and were never booked into the police pound, were sold after their serial numbers were tampered with and police clearance was fraudulently issued.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Northern Cape spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the State did not oppose bail, leading to Goshupelwang’s release on R10,000 bail last week.
“He will be added to the charge sheet,” Senokoatsane confirmed.
Meanwhile, SAPS officers Detective Sergeant Khiba Zulu and Detective Sergeant Tshepo Thae, both from the Kimberley Vehicle Crime Investigations Unit, are expected to hear the outcome of their bail applications on January 15.
Their co-accused, Phenyo Sekutenyane, Shepherd Ndimande and Thapelo Phandile, were released on bail of R10,000 each.