Cops held for Shabangu extortion bid
June 9 2015 at 12:54pm
By Kieran Legg
By Kieran Legg
Cape Town - Two police officers have been arrested for allegedly
attempting to extort money from the family of popular local musician Lucky Shabangu.
This was after a theft case against the singer and his alleged co-conspirator
was provisionally withdrawn last Friday.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) alleged the officers had posed
as investigating officers on the case and demanded money from the family “so
that the accused could get bail”.
They now face charges of corruption when they appear in court at the end
of the week.
Shabangu, 39, and his co-accused Thobani Makuzeni, 35, were meant to
appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday morning facing theft
charges for allegedly stealing a Porsche worth almost R1 million on May 22.
However, Makuzeni’s attorney André Johnston, who initially represented
both men before Shabangu elected to defend himself, said that last week he was
informed the charges against the pair had been provisionally withdrawn and the
scheduled appearance was struck off the roll.
This latest twist followed a court appearance in which Shabangu asked
for his alleged co-conspirator to be let off the hook.
The State opposed bail for both men, saying Shabangu had a list of
previous convictions, and that he did not have a fixed address as the State was
in possession of an eviction order from his Hyde Park residence.
While the charges against both men have, at least for now, been dropped,
Shabangu will still be spending the rest of the week behind bars at the Cape
Town central police station. He faces a separate theft charge relating to
another case registered with the coastal neighbourhood’s police station, and is
set to appear in court this Friday for his bail application.
NPA spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said that while charges against the pair
had been withdrawn, police would still continue their investigation into the
alleged theft of the Porsche.
The two police officers who allegedly attempted to extort money out of
Shabangu and Makuzeni’s families will also appear in court on Friday.
While they have not yet been formally charged and therefore cannot be
identified, Ntabazalila said that one of them was a crime intelligence officer.
Their appearance this week will include an identity parade.
News of Shabangu’s theft case has exposed a dramatic fall from grace for
the double South African Music Award winner who was part of the popular boy
band Twins in the 1990s.
During the State’s initial searches it was revealed that Shabangu had
been arrested at least 19 times and had six previous convictions.
He was arrested last month after officers found him in possession of the
alleged stolen luxury car.
kieran.legg@inl.co.za
Cape Argus
