The municipal manager of Blouberg Local Municipality in Limpopo, Refilwe Jonas Ramothwala, has joined the directors of a security company on the dock, facing criminal charges over a controversial tender that allegedly resulted in about R11 million being paid to the company over three years. Ramothwala, 57, appeared in the Senwabarwana Magistrate’s Court on Friday alongside BBT Security Services directors Sello Herlot Mongalo, 37, and Ngoako Nicolas Thoka, 39, following their arrests by the Hawks on Wednesday. The court appearance…

A R16 million security tender at Blouberg Local Municipality has been plunged into a fraud and corruption investigation after the police elite, the Hawks, allegedly uncovered firearm details belonging to rival security companies and fraudulent certificates in the winning bidder’s tender documents. Three suspects, aged between 37 and 57, were arrested in Polokwane on Wednesday as investigators moved against those allegedly linked to the multimillion-rand contract. The security company that secured the tender has also been charged. The Directorate for…

A routine audit at the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality in the North West has allegedly uncovered irregular transfers of more than R1.3 million from the municipality’s bank account, triggering a Hawks investigation that has now resulted in three arrests. Vincent Mkhwanazi, 38, Sibusiso Kunene, 44, and Thembeka Zukula, 44, whose positions at the municipality are yet to be revealed, appeared in the Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, facing charges of fraud, theft and money laundering. The alleged financial irregularities came…

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is conducting a search and seizure operation at the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) premises in Centurion, Pretoria, as part of an investigation into a training contract estimated at R130 million. The operation is being carried out under a warrant granted by the Special Tribunal on September 17, 2026, with assistance from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks. The investigation relates to the procurement or contracting of training services…

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Limpopo, or the Hawks, have arrested a 37-year-old suspect in connection with an alleged R45 million fraud, corruption and money-laundering investigation involving a fleet management tender awarded by the Mogalakwena Local Municipality. The suspect was arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team following an extensive probe into the tender, which was advertised and awarded by the municipality in 2022. According to the Hawks, preliminary findings suggest that the procurement process was allegedly…

Three Zimbabwean nationals have been convicted and handed fines totalling R1.705 million after they were found transporting illicit tobacco products worth more than R4.5 million in Musina, Limpopo. The convictions were secured by the Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation (SCCI) team in Musina following a joint operation involving the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) under Operation Vala Umgodi. The trio, Wesley Chikombe, 34, Stephen Nkandla and Nyere Oswell, were arrested on 25…

Six Nigerian nationals accused of defrauding more than 100 women in the United States of more than R100 million through online romance scams are set to be extradited from South Africa to face charges in the US. The extradition is being facilitated by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, together with INTERPOL South Africa. The six men are alleged to be members of the Black Axe organised criminal network and are wanted by US authorities…

A suspected multimillion-rand crystal methamphetamine manufacturing operation has been dismantled in Musina, Limpopo, with five people arrested and drugs and laboratory equipment worth an estimated R600 million seized. The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, carried out the late-night operation on a farm in the Vhembe District on Thursday, following a two-month intelligence-driven investigation into suspected drug manufacturing activities. The operation involved the Hawks, South African Police Service, South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau, Crime Intelligence, Hawks Limpopo,…

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has welcomed the arrest of two former Department of Home Affairs officials and four members of the public in connection with an alleged fraud and corruption scheme involving the irregular registration of births at the Malamulele Home Affairs office in Limpopo. The arrests, announced on Tuesday, are the latest in the department’s ongoing campaign against corruption within the country’s identity and immigration system. According to the department, the suspects were arrested over the weekend by…

Major-General Lesetja Senona has resigned as the KwaZulu-Natal head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), bringing an abrupt end to his tenure while he remained embroiled in allegations before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, commonly known as the Madlanga Commission. His resignation took effect immediately on Friday. Senona is a veteran police officer who joined the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 1985 and rose through the…