
Johannesburg Metro Police officers arrested three suspects in connection with counterfeit goods estimated at millions of rands. Picture Courtesy: Sunday World.
( The Post News)-On Sunday, 29 September 2024, two Botswana nationals involved in the illegal possession and trading of pangolin, which is endangered, were arrested in Johannesburg, Gauteng.
According to Captain Lloyd Ramovha, Gauteng police spokesman, the law enforcement team received information about an individual who had a pangolin. Following further investigations, two people, Rhine Morgan Kemsley (35), and Mothusi Lefa (49), who are both citizens of Botswana, were located and taken into custody.
The duo has been remanded in custody pending a bail application scheduled for Monday, October 7, 2024.
Meanhile, on Friday, 27 September 2024, the Johannesburg Commercial Crime Investigation and the Gauteng Highway Patrol received information about a truck that was transporting counterfeit goods from Mozambique to the Sasol garage near Carnival Mall for offloading.
Three suspects were apprehended: the driver, Reggernald Bezuidenhout (33), a Namibian citizen; Melumuzi Ndlovu (20), a Zimbabwean; and Thabiso Mofokeng (39), a South African citizen.
According to Captain Lloyd Ramovha, a Gauteng police spokeswoman, the authorities discovered 63 bales of counterfeit footwear, including brands like Nike, Lacoste, and Jordan, worth an estimated R9.2 million. In addition, 14 more bales of counterfeit products worth around R1.2 million were discovered in a storage facility in Johannesburg’s Betrams neighbourhood.
They appeared before the Brakpan magistrate’s court on Monday, September 30, 2024.
The case was adjourned until 7 October 2024 for bail application.