Staff Reporter
The Free State High Court has granted the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) an order against three vehicles, cash and pieces of gold as the properties are alleged to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The order was granted on Thursday by the Acting Deputy Judge President Celeste Reinders against a Jeep Cherokee, BMW, Nissan Almera, R1.3 million in cash and 21 pieces of gold valued at R3.2 million.
The matter, according to the National Prosecuting Authority, dates back to November 7, 2018 when Charmaine Botha was abducted from her workplace and held hostage in a shack in Thabong, Welkom.
The kidnappers then called Johan Botha, who is the husband of Charmaine and also an employee of Harmony Gold Mine in the Free State, demanding a brick or a bar of gold in return for release of his wife.
Botha reported the matter to his employer and the police.
The mine management gave him a bar of gold valued at R6.5 million to give to the kidnappers and the wife was released after the kidnappers received the gold.
Police conducted investigations and 10 people including Sechaba Seloana, John Taile, Wellington Sithole and Lovemore Ndlovu were arrested.
Seloana was found in possession of the Jeep, BMW, R580 000 cash and 21 pieces of gold valued at R3.2 million.
Sithole and Taile were found in possession of R524 000 and R260 000 respectively.
Ndlovu was found in possession of the Nissan Almera.
Seloana and Sechaba admitted that they played a role in kidnapping Charmaine Botha and that they cut the bar of gold into small pieces and sold them in Sebokeng.
Seloana also pointed out the shack in which they kept Charmaine and the farm where the bar of gold was melted or cut into smaller pieces.
Advocate Eugene Ontong, representing the AFU, argued that Seloana and others used the vehicles to transport gold from Welkom to Sebokeng and they knew what the implication would be if the gold was found in those vehicles.
He submitted that the vehicles are instrumentalities of crime as they were used in unlawful activities.
He further said that the cash and the 21 pieces of gold were also proceeds of crime.
The cash that was seized was exchanged for gold.
Judge Reinders agreed with the submission of the AFU and granted the order.
Seloana and others were also charged and the criminal case is pending in the High Court.
The charges against them include kidnapping, extortion, illicit possession of precious metal and money laundering.