HERMANUS – Two members of the Junior Mafia gang have been sentenced to long-term imprisonment for the assassination of abalone poacher Cameron Marc Padayachee, who was murdered in Hermanus in 2021 after refusing to pay extortion money to the gang.
Western Cape NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the Hermanus Regional Court handed down the sentences after both accused entered into plea and sentencing agreements with the State.
According to Ntabazalila, the court convicted Paul Adams and Ismail Khan of premeditated murder and aiding and abetting criminal gang activity. Adams was further convicted of the illegal possession of abalone.
“The accused were members of the Junior Mafias between September and December 2021, and they knowingly acted to benefit the gang,” he said.
Ntabazalila said Adams admitted to ordering the hit on Padayachee.
“In his confession, Adams confirmed that he instructed two other members, Ismail Khan and Renaldo van der Bergh, to kill Padayachee because he refused to pay extortion money,” Ntabazalila said in statement released on Monday, 1 December.
“Like other poachers in the area, Padayachee was expected to pay a percentage of his illegal abalone proceeds to the gang.”
On the day of the killing, Khan and Van der Bergh collected a firearm from Adams before confronting Padayachee on Kapokblom Street, Blompark.
“Van der Bergh fired eight shots at the deceased while he was working on a vehicle,” Ntabazalila said. “He died on the scene.”
Padayachee’s young children were inside the vehicle at the time.
“The deceased’s minor children witnessed the assassination. They were severely traumatised,” Ntabazalila said.
He added that this was not the first attempt on Padayachee’s life.
Adams was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, with four years suspended, and an additional five years for contravening the Marine Living Resources Act. The sentences will run concurrently, resulting in an effective 16-year sentence.
“He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm,” Ntabazalila said.
Khan was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, with five years suspended.
“Khan confirmed that he and Van der Bergh were acting for the benefit of the gang and that he urged Van der Bergh to shoot the deceased, shouting repeatedly ‘Dala what you must, maak die nommer vol’,” Ntabazalila said.
Van der Bergh, who pulled the trigger, is already serving 30 years after entering his own plea agreement.
Regional prosecutor Ilse Keyser argued that the murder was a calculated act of intimidation. Ntabazalila said the State emphasised the wider impact of the crime.
“This murder was meant to teach Padayachee and other poachers to obey orders and pay the gang their percentage or face consequences,” he said. “The accused had no regard for the safety of the deceased’s children, who were close enough to have been struck by a stray bullet.”
Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv Nicolette Bell applauded the investigation and prosecution team for ensuring justice was served.
She said environmental crimes are often linked to organised crime.
“Criminal networks exploit weak regulations and enforcement to profit from illegal activities, using tactics such as corruption, violence, and fraud.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.