By Insp Shaun Chetty
Information supplied by Serious and
Violent Crime:
Head Office Photographer: Insp Theo van Wyk
For the many years that I have been in the police, I
have always noticed how sincere and dedicated some police officials are. One
particular unit that stands out is the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit.
As we were waiting for Management to join us at the handing of commendation
certificates to officers who have done the SAPS proud with their
investigations, I looked through the room and saw faces that had a million
stories to tell. Today, one of their stories is getting the recognition it
deserves.
Divisional Commissioner de Beer of Detective Services, with great
pride heard the tributes attentively and with sheer satisfaction, handed out
certificates to deserving members.
Divisional Commissioner de Beer (right)
with the Suiker Britz award winner,Supt Byleveld.
T H E S E A
R E T H E I R S T O R I E S
12 January 2000 was like any ordinary day in Pretoria, until a young man
with right wing sentiments, De Wet Kritzinger, attacked a bus in Constantia
Park.
Three persons were shot dead and four were seriously injured. De Wet Kritzinger fled the scene on a motorcycle. This case was described as a
racist attack and later the findings in court proved that indeed it was
racially motivated. For almost two years Kritzinger was on the run. After
intensive investigations, information was received that Kritzinger was
living in Modimolle, Limpopo under the assumed name of Jan Pretorius. Soon
after this, Kritzinger was tracked down and arrested. He was subsequently
charged with the murders and on 3 May 2003, he was sentenced to three terms
of life imprisonment and a further 40 years’ imprisonment.
- Officers, Capt R Schutte, D/Insp HJC Kruger and D/Insp WA Nel of Serious
and Violent Crime Unit (SVCU) in Waterburg and Investigating Officer Capt B
De Beer of the Pretoria SVCU were honoured for their exemplary service in
the Kritzinger case.
Another feather in the SAPS’s cap: On 29 March 2003, Mr Lucas de Swart’s
body was discovered lying in a bush in the vicinity of Alkmar, near the N4
highway, close to Nelspruit.
In October 2003 the case was referred to
Serious and Violent Crime (SVC) Head office for further investigation.
During the follow-up investigations two suspects were arrested on 4 December
2003 in the Nelspruit area who subsequently pointed out at the crime scene.
Personal belongings of the deceased were found in their possession. A third
suspect was also traced and charged and the case against him was tried
separately. All three were sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for the
murder and a further 10 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated robbery which
will run concurrently with their imprisonment.
A case that is referred for further investigation and the investigators
were not at the initial crime scene and subsequent post mortem, is even more
difficult to solve. This investigation was, in fact, conducted de novo.
Despite the odds, the team from SVC, Head Office managed to ensure a
successful prosecution. The perpetrators were brought to book and justice
prevailed. The team travelled extensively to Nelspruit and they made
personal sacrifices to achieve this success.
- Snr Supt E Viljoen, Supt MJ Kruger, Capt EW Olivier, Capt L Marx, D/Insp
TF Tshwale and D/Insp JE Mashigo of SVC, Head Office received commendation
certificates for successfully solving this case.
In March 2003, a consignment of dimethylamine was exported from the Durban
Harbour to Iran by a South African company.
African Amines (represented by
its managing director, Mr David Bewyer), was sentenced to a fine of R100
000.00 on 23 November 2004. What makes this so noteworthy is that legal
history was made with this case as it was the first ever conviction in terms
of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Act.
Investigations into these cases are complex and often contain difficult
terminology and previously unheard of technologies. Nevertheless, D/Insp du
Toit took up the challenge of the unknown and successfully saw this case
through court. This, too, was a long-distance investigation that took him
away from home for extended periods in the interest of service delivery.
- D/Insp
Morne du Toit, Crimes Against The State, Serious and Violent Crime, Head
Office was awarded for his excellent work.
On 26 July 2004, the bodies of two adult males were found in Kwaggapan
Park, Rustenburg. These two were positively identified as Mr Gottschalk, who
had been reported missing on 6 July, and Mr van den Berg, who had been
missing since 16 July 2004. The pathologist who visited the crime scene and
who conducted the subsequent post mortem examinations found certain
similarities that initially indicated the possibility that these cases might
have been linked to another high-profile case that was under investigation
at the time. However, during the investigations it became apparent that
there was no link. Based on the initial report, SVC, Head Office formed a
joint task team with our colleagues from the North West Province. This team
apprehended four suspects within the period of a month. The officers and
members worked around the clock - that is to say, more that 115 hours of
overtime a week, without payment. The accused are currently standing trial
and the prosecutor is of the opinion that all four will be convicted on
charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
- Supt GD Swart, Capt EW Olivier, Capt GPE Claasen, Capt FD Conradie, D/Insp
HW Maluleka, D/Insp JE Mashigo D/Insp AL Kinnear-SVC, Head Office received
certificates.
- The Task Team from SVC, Phokeng were Capt van der Merwe, D/Insp
Gilliland, D/Insp Chomela and D/Insp de Bruin and D/Insp Murunwa from
General Detectives, Rustenburg
The cherry on the top was the awarding of the Suiker Britz Floating
Trophy to one of the finest detectives in the SAPS, Superintendent Piet
Byleveld of the SVC Unit in Johannesburg.
On the retirement of Assistant Commissioner Suiker Britz, the first Head
of the Serious and Violent Crime Unit, he donated a floating trophy to the
SVCU and/or individual member most deserving recognition and praise for
outstanding service delivery in the Republic of South Africa. This award is
awarded annually.
According to Asst Comm Sharon Schutte, “the majority of cases
investigated by the Serious and Violent Crime Units countrywide deserved
recognition and it is always extremely difficult to place one unit or member
above another.
This trophy has indeed been a floating trophy over the past
few years and previous recipients include the Serious and Violent Crime Unit
in the Eastern Cape (Tsolo/Qumbu task team), the Western Cape Serious and
Violent Crime Unit for the combating of Urban Terrorism and the Izotsha
Serious and Violent Crime Unit in KwaZulu-Natal for phenomenal results
yielded in the solving of serious crime. This year this honour was bestowed
upon Superintendent Piet Byleveld. A household name in South Africa. Piet
will be the first to tell you that no detective can ever claim to have “done
it on their own”. Many role-players ensure that cases are solved
successfully.
Commissioner Suiker Britz often spoke about “Ysters” ; the term in which
he referred to his specialized detectives. This was a term of endearment and
absolute respect for the detectives that were prepared to go the extra mile;
detectives who had dedication, loyalty, initiative, and would carry on until
they had literally exhausted every possible avenue in an investigation.
The Wemmerpan serial murders (which included the Hammer murders), all in
all 35 charges of murder, 28 attempted murder, 46 charges of aggravated
robbery, 15 charges of rape and offences relating to the unlawful possession
of firearms and ammunition . Cedric Maake was found guilty on 114 charges of
the 134 charges and sentenced to 27 life sentences plus 1 159 years and 3
months’ imprisonment.’
Assistant Commissioner Schutte added that “in July 2000 the Nasrec serial
killer struck, in December 2002, Lazarus Mazingane was found guilty on 16
counts of murder, 5 of attempted murder, 22 rapes, 20 charges of aggravated
robbery, and charges of kidnapping, assault with intent to cause grevious
bodily harm and contraventions of the Firearm Act. He was sentenced to 17
life terms plus 781 years’ imprisonment. Currently Supt Byleveld is
preparing for trial on the so-called ‘Mine Dump’ murders and he is also
commended for the sterling investigation conducted in the Leigh Matthews
murder case. This will not be elaborated on as the case still has to go on
trial in July this year. However, the methodical manner in which this
investigation was conducted, the manner in which Supt Byleveld projected
nothing less than an absolutely professional image to the ever-prying eye of
the media is an absolute credit to us all within the Detective Service and
to the South African Police Service as a whole. His exemplary manner and
approach are praiseworthy.” Schutte concluded that Supt Byleveld had indeed
deserved the Suiker Britz award.
Policemen throughout South Africa have together given millions of hours
so that the people of South Africa have some peace of mind. How many of them
though, get recognized. Thanks to the Serious and Violent Crime Unit’s
initiative, some policemen are not taken for granted. If you want to
encourage good practice and excellent service delivery, start recognizing
your fellow colleagues and the input they give.
