Pretoria – A former police officer, Jacob Abrahams Buys, 53, has appeared before the Benoni Regional Court charged with contravention of the Precious Metals Act 37 of 2005.
A spokesperson for the Hawks, Colonel Philani Nkwalase, said Buys was arrested on Tuesday by the Vaal Rand Hawks serious organised crime investigation team working with the Germiston crime intelligence unit and Gauteng highway patrol
“The team executed a search warrant at the accused’s premises in Benoni. On arrival at the premises the team found Buys, who claimed to be employed as a smelt operator for a smelt house company in Springs,” said Nkwalase.
“During the search, the police team uncovered nine nuggets of gold inside his vehicle, a Mahindra. One platinum nugget was found in his home office.
“The team also found a PMD analysis machine, a money counting machine as well as an undisclosed amount of money in his house. Preliminary investigation revealed that the house was not registered as a commercial place and that the suspect does not possess any permit to buy or deal with precious metals and diamonds from his private residence.”
Buys was arrested and made his first court appearance on Wednesday.
The case was postponed to today for a formal bail application.
Last year, the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, granted a final forfeiture order for 23 pieces of gold, worth R9 million, which were seized at the OR Tambo International Airport from a man, Tashinga Nyasha Masinire, who had just landed from Zimbabwe.
“Nyasha was arrested by members of the Hawks' serious organised crime team with the assistance of customs officials at OR Tambo International,” Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha said at the time.
IOL