Hawks, NPA freeze R1 million worth of assets — including VW Polo vehicles linked to crime
The Kimberley High Court has granted a series of preservation orders to the Hawks’ Priority Crime Specialised Investigation (PCSI) unit and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), following a string of seizures in the Northern Cape during the first half of September 2025.
Image: Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers
The Kimberley High Court has granted a series of preservation orders to the Hawks’ Priority Crime Specialised Investigation (PCSI) unit and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), following a string of seizures in the Northern Cape during the first half of September 2025.
Northern Cape provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe said preservation orders ensure that assets identified by law enforcement agencies remain secured and cannot be sold or disposed of while investigations continue.
Several vehicles and other items linked to alleged criminal activity have been frozen while probes proceed.
Key seizures and preservation orders include:
A Volkswagen Polo, valued at about R90,000, was seized by Douglas police after officers stopped the vehicle and found what appeared to be 202 mandrax tablets and about 10 kilogrammes of dagga. The car was confiscated as it was allegedly used in the commission of a crime.
A white Toyota light delivery vehicle estimated at R50,000 was seized after Upington police stopped a suspicious vehicle on the N10 and discovered six bags of dagga; suspects were arrested and a preservation order obtained.
A GWM single-cab bakkie valued at R115,300 was stopped by Vosburg police while transporting sheep; the driver could not produce the required transportation permits and the vehicle was seized pending investigation.
A Volkswagen Polo valued at R196,900 was seized in De Aar after suspects allegedly tried to scam members of the public with a non-existent gemstone and attempted to flee when officers closed in. A preservation order was granted.
An Isuzu bakkie valued at around R35,000 was seized in Severn after it was found at a livestock auction carrying 16 stolen goats; the driver failed to properly account for ownership.
A Toyota bakkie valued at R85,000 was seized in Kuruman after being stopped with a kudu carcass and a gemsbok (oryx) carcass, but without the required documentation; a preservation order was granted.
In addition to the preservation orders, the province effected a Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA) payment under section 18(1) of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) 121 of 1998, following a conviction.
Arina Botha, formerly employed in the finance department of Williston Municipality, was found guilty of diverting municipal funds to her personal accounts. A confiscation order of R558,956 was made against her and the required payment was made by her attorneys.
The combined value of the preservation orders and the CARA payment brings the total recovered or frozen assets in the province to more than R1 million.
Meanwhile, acting provincial head of the Hawks in the Northern Cape, Brigadier De Witt Botha, has welcomed the preservation orders.
"The above orders serve as testament to our commitment to ensure that crime does not pay and criminals don’t get to enjoy the proceeds of crime, we will hit them where it hurts the most,” said Botha.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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