The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has successfully opposed the bail application of five accused extortionists who allegedly targeted disabled homeowners in the Mthatha West Informal settlements of Chris Hani Park in Mthatha.
The accused facing these charges are Headman Nkosiphendule Mseswa (55) and his wife, sub-headwoman Nomlandelo Pamla (44), Boyce Kani (67), Sthembiso Mbube (46), and Bongile Mnyanda (55). They were arrested on July 14.
NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali confirmed that their alleged accomplice, sub-headwoman Pamla, was arrested two days later.
“They had gone to the homestead of one of the alleged victims, where they demanded keys after she failed to pay ‘rent’ for the house she had called home for more than 14 years,” said Tyali.
“The five are facing four counts of attempted extortion, as three more disabled persons who reside at the Efata complex for the deaf and blind have lodged complaints against them, dating back to 2015,” Tyali added.
He further stated that Mseswa and Pamla, who are headman and sub-headwoman of part of Chris Hani Informal Settlement respectively, are not recognized by the Department of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs.
According to Tyali, Kani is also allegedly one of their right-hand men who provided muscle in their alleged activities.
“They allegedly had been collecting money from the victims who had been residents at the complex owned by Imfesane Trust, which inherited the complex from the erstwhile Transkei Homeland. They had been demanding rent from the homeowners under the guise that the land on which the settlement is situated had successfully been resituated to the Mthatha West community, which questionably settled there after 1994, long after the complex was built.”
In arguing against their release on bail, prosecutor Prince Nofemela stated that the complainants, all of whom are either blind or deaf, had been harassed by the five accused and their handlers, who are still at large, using threats.
He argued that their lives would be in danger if the accused were released on bail, and one of the accused had a pending case of murder against him.
Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo, has committed to working hand in hand with the police to guide investigations to ensure that the kingpins of the extortion rackets in Mthatha West are brought to book.
Meanwhile, three more accused persons are to make their first appearance in Mthatha Magistrate’s Court today on charges of kidnapping and extortion allegedly committed against a foreign national in Waterfall township, also in Mthatha.
