Hawks Hit Criminals in the Pocket: R1 Million in Cars and Cash Frozen in Northern Cape Blitz

Hawks Hit Criminals in the Pocket: R1 Million in Cars and Cash Frozen in Northern Cape Blitz

For criminals in the Northern Cape, the first half of September has been a costly affair. The long arm of the law isn’t just making arrests; it’s seizing the very wheels and spoils of illicit trade in a direct attack on the profit motive of crime.

In a significant operation, the Hawks’ Priority Crime unit and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) have secured a series of preservation orders from the Kimberley High Court, freezing assets worth over R1 million. The message from acting Hawks provincial head Brigadier De Witt Botha was blunt: “We will hit them where it hurts the most.”

The Seizures: A Garage of Criminal Evidence

The frozen assets read like a used car lot with a dark secret. The seizures, spread across towns like Douglas, Upington, and De Aar, reveal a pattern of crime tied directly to the province’s roads and rural landscape.

The list is a catalogue of illegal enterprises:

• The Drug Runners: A Volkswagen Polo, worth R90,000, was stopped in Douglas and found packed with 202 mandrax tablets and 10kg of dagga. Another, a more expensive Polo valued at nearly R200,000, was seized in De Aar after its occupants allegedly tried to flee from a gemstone scam.

• The Livestock Thieves: The province’s farming heartland was targeted too. In Vosburg, a GWM bakkie was frozen while transporting sheep without permits. In Severn, an Isuzu bakkie was seized at a livestock auction carrying 16 stolen goats. In Kuruman, a Toyota bakkie was stopped with a kudu and gemsbok carcass, absent the required documentation.

• The Courier: On the N10 highway near Upington, a white Toyota LDV was intercepted with six bags of dagga, leading to arrests and the vehicle’s preservation.

According to Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe, these orders are crucial. They prevent suspects from selling or disposing of the assets while investigations continue, effectively locking down the tools of their trade.

Following the Money: The Municipal Embezzlement Case

Beyond the vehicles, the operation also clawed back cash in a clear victory for accountability. The NPA confirmed a Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA) payment of R558,956 from Arina Botha, a former finance official at the Williston Municipality.

Botha was convicted of siphoning municipal funds into her own accounts. This confiscation order, made under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), demonstrates that asset forfeiture isn’t just for street-level crime but also for white-collar corruption that cripples local services.

A Growing Tool in the Fight Against Crime

The combined value of the frozen vehicles and the embezzled funds successfully recovered pushes the total past the R1 million mark. This blitz underscores a strategic shift in policing: following the money trail.

By targeting assets, law enforcement aims to dismantle the economic infrastructure that makes crime profitable. A stolen bakkie is more than just evidence; it’s a business asset for a poaching or stock theft ring. Seizing it inflicts a direct financial blow.

For residents of the Northern Cape, these actions signal that crime, whether in the form of drug peddling, wildlife poaching, or corruption, will not be tolerated. The Hawks have made it clear that they intend to ensure crime doesn’t pay, one seized vehicle and one frozen bank account at a time.

{Source: IOL}

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