A corrupt traffic cop and a disbarred lawyer were in the spotlight in Bellville this week, following successful work done by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks).
In the first case, a former attorney and conveyancer was sentenced by the Bellville Serious Commercial Crimes Court on 48 charges ranging from fraud to money laundering and theft on 30 March.
The former attorney, Rugaya van der Schyff (57), was first arrested by the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation team in 2019 for misappropriating trust funds to the value of R4,8 million. She was subsequently released on R20 000 bail.
She wasn’t legally fit to practise as a lawyer at the time after being struck off the roll of attorneys in 2017 following an interdict application which was lodged in 2016.
Last year Van der Schyff was arrested again on 20 October on charges of fraud and theft worth R500 000.
“The Hawks investigation showed that she continued facilitating offers to purchase several properties from 2019 to date, knowing fully well that she was disbarred from practising as an attorney by the Western Cape High Court.
“The misappropriation was done in her professional capacity as an additional duty of care and diligence in dealing with the transfer of properties and the Registrar of Deeds,” Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani says.
Rugaya will spend 10 years behind bars after the court ordered that the sentences imposed should be served concurrently.
She was sentenced to a combined 10 years imprisonment for two counts of money laundering, four years imprisonment for contravening the Legal Practice Act (LPA) 28 of 2014. Moreover she was sentenced to another 10 years for nine counts of fraud and a further 18 years for four additional counts of fraud, suspended for five years with conditions. On 30 counts of theft, the former attorney was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, while an additional three years imprisonment was suspended for five years on an additional count of theft.
Traffic officer
In a second case handled by the Hawks, Gavin Edgar Heinrick Zass (53), a former traffic officer, was sentenced by the Bellville Magistrate’s Court to pay a fine of R40 000 or, in default to serve four years’ imprisonment for corruption.
Zass was arrested after a sting operation conducted at Bellville Traffic Department in 2016. He was found with R10 000 entrapment cash where he was charged with corruption.
His modus operandi was to impound taxis that did not have roadworthy permits and would release the taxis without following proper procedure.
In return, he would request a bribe of R2 500 from taxi owners.
“The matter was immediately reported to the Hawks’ serious corruption investigation team in Bellville for further investigation,” Hani says.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila says he succeeded when demanding R2 500 from Ayanda Maninjwa on 9 April.
“The scheme backfired on 15 April 2016 when another taxi driver, a Mr Lidziya, reported his actions to the police and a trap was set up. Police recovered the money he took from the second complainant following his arrest. Adv Simon Leope asked the court to impose five years imprisonment.”
Leope says there is definite increase in members of law enforcement agencies committing acts of corruption.
“These are the same people who are supposed to be guardians of our Constitution by ensuring that the safety of our society is paramount and safeguarded.”
