Magistrate’s Court
PHOTO: Duncan Alfreds, News24
- Three Eastern Cape court officials have been
arrested for allegedly selling travel permits. - They allegedly charged between R150 and R200 for
each permit. - They were arrested after they allegedly tried to
sell permits to an undercover cop.
Three court officials who allegedly issued and sold
fraudulent travel permits to people who wanted to travel through the border
town of Sterkspruit in the Eastern Cape have been released on bail, according
to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The officials, who are attached to the office of
the clerk of the court, were granted R2 000 bail in the Sterkspruit Magistrate’s
Court, regional NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said.
Thobeka Zuma, 41, Wandile Jokozela, 40, and Lazola
Mxaka, 36, were arrested by the Hawks on Wednesday 12 August, after allegedly
selling travel permits to undercover police during a trap, Tyali said.
“The trio is alleged to have been fraudulently
issuing and selling travel permits during the Covid-19 national lockdown to
people wishing to travel through the border town of Sterkspruit, which is on
the preferred routes to the Free State and Gauteng provinces,” he said.
“They allegedly charged between R150 and R200
for each permit they issued, using the court stamp. It is expected that more
charges will be preferred against the accused persons on their next court
appearance.”
Their matter was postponed to 18 September for
further investigations, he said.
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