Brian Mandizvidze (31), Nompumelelo Ngwenya (37), and Tshepang Phatswane (30) have been released on bail of R2000-00 each by the Middelburg Magistrates’ Court following their arrest by the Hawks Middleburg’s Serious Organized Crime Investigation unit.
The charges against them include fraud and theft within the Blinkpan policing area.
According to reports, on August 25, 2023, Brian Mandizvidze, who was driving a side tipper truck, was tasked with transporting coal from the NCC mine to Majuba Power Station.
However, instead of adhering to the delivery instructions, Mandizvidze diverted the truck to an unauthorized coal yard where the cargo was offloaded.
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The two weighbridge operators, Ngwenya and Phatswane, allegedly issued weighbridge slips falsely indicating that the coal had been successfully delivered to Majuba Power Station when, in reality, it had not reached its intended destination.
As a result of these actions, Majuba Power Station made a payment of R27,000-00, leading to significant financial losses.
The case came to the attention of the Hawks, who subsequently conducted a sting operation, resulting in the arrest of the trio on Thursday, September 21, 2023.
They were promptly brought before the court on the same day.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for October 6, 2023, for pretrial proceedings, while the investigation into the matter continues.
