Rogue police officers have allegedly bombed a Joburg home of the ex-husband of house music singer Bucie while his six-month-old baby was sleeping in the pad.
The alleged incursion, carried out by members of Operation Vala Umgodi, occurred a few months after four Crime Intelligence Unit officers allegedly kidnapped him and transferred a total of R180, 000 from his two bank accounts.
The Hawks opened a case of attempted murder and malicious damage to property against the Vala Umgodi members at the Douglasdale Police Station.
According to a police officer, who did not want to be identified because he is not allowed to speak to the media, members of Vala Umgodi swooped on Lucky Nkomo’s gated home in Fourways and banged on his door, instructing him to open it.
When he refused, they then allegedly used some explosives to blow open the steel door to his house, blowing it into smithereens.
Sensing blood, Nkomo jumped out of his crib through the back window and tried to escape. But they cornered him by the main entrance of his complex where he was attempting to escape because he believed the cops were working in cahoots with crime intelligence unit bobbies who had previously kidnapped him and extorted him. Nkomo’s girlfriend phoned the police and alerted them about the incident.
Members of the Hawks arrived at the scene and interrogated them.
“Among the questions posed to them was what they were doing there because their mandate is to deal with illegal mining and zama zamas,” said our police officer source.
In their response, said the cop, the peelers claimed that they received a tip-off that Nkomo was in possession of an illegal firearm that he wanted to use to kill police officers.
“They then produced a firearm and showed it to the Hawks [and claimed] that they found it inside the house and that it belonged to Lucky. But Lucky denied knowing anything about the firearm, saying the weapon was planted by the cops who wanted to set him up for a crime he did not commit.”
The cop said the Hawks further asked the Vala Umgodi members why they brought members of the local criminal record centre to the house but they clutched at straws.
“These are the people who clean up crime scenes,” said the police officer.
The cop said they then asked Vala Umgodi members if they had informed Douglasdale about their raid. They had not.
“Procedure dictates that if you conduct such raids, you need to inform the nearest police or the police station that falls under the jurisdiction where you are going to conduct the operation.”
The source said after ping pong, the Vala Umgodi members opened a case of possession of an illegal firearm against Nkomo but the case was later withdrawn.
“The Hawks have opened a case of attempted murder and malicious damage to property against them,” said the cop.
The cop said the bombing incident comes after four Crime Intelligence Unit members –Macdonald Musundwa Nethavhani, Ayanda Meya, Fhumulani Netsianda and Wisani Ngobeni – all constables attached to crime intelligence in Johannesburg, were arrested for kidnapping and extorting Nkomo.
Two civilians, Ramiel Singh, who works for FNB, and Mphoto Cyril Sehoene turned themselves in to Hawks investigators later for the same alleged offences.
According to the cop, the four police officers, who were dressed in civilian clothes, kidnapped Nkomo at a nightclub in Randburg, Johannesburg, on January 30 last year. They then took him to Fairlands Police Station, where they told him that they were investigating a case of fraud against him.
They then took him to his house in Fourways, assaulted him, and took his phones and transferred R180, 000 from his bank account into a Capitec account belonging to Seshoene.
They then threatened him before they dropped him off in Roodepoort.
“Lucky was able to reverse the transactions of those amounts and reported the matter to the Hawks,” said the cop.
The six suspects were arrested by the Hawks and released on R3 000 bail each. Nkomo declined to comment, but Sunday World learnt that he was suing both FNB and SAPS for the two incidents. (See the story below)
