Two security guards helped load stolen money in last month’s heist at Johannesburg International airport, the Kempton Park regional court heard on Wednesday.
This emerged when the investigating officer, Peter Mbobani, was cross-examined during the bail application of nine people arrested since the March 25 heist.
Mbobani said Themba Phutsitsi (33) was employed by Khulani Security and Annanius Nepfumbe (33) by Protea Aviation Security. Phutsitsi, who was on crutches, had come to court from a prison hospital, his lawyer Alpheus Denga told the court.
Denga said his client had been assaulted in custody and challenged Mbobani on whether he knew why Phutsitsi had had an injury since his arrest.
”It is strange,” said Mbobani. ”He was handed over to me and I detained him on March 30. Before I detained him I asked if he had any complaints or injuries and he never said anything.”
Denga told the court that Phutsitsi had wounds on his testicles and penis.
The court heard that Nepfumbe has shown police where some $77 000 had been stashed in Venda. His lawyer, Nico Swart, put it to Mbobani that his client had been given the money by a soldier.
Mbobani replied: ”Yes, the soldier is one of the suspects and one of the planning team.”
He also revealed during cross-examination by Pieter Wilkens, an advocate representing Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) operations manager Nazir Ismail, that further suspects police wanted to arrest were in Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Angola.
The investigating officer also told the court that another of the accused, a duty manager for Acsa at the airport, Rookaya Ebrahim (35), could move money that had still not been recovered from the heist if she were granted bail. Some of the money that had been recovered was found in her possession, he said.
Mbobani said that among the nine accused there could be suspects in two other airport robberies, one last year, and the other in 2004.
Those cases were still under investigation.
Ismail (38) and Ebrahim’s Acsa colleagues, Magdalena Moonsamy (24) and Sean Soobramoney (32), are also in the dock along with Mzikise Maqwaza (24), Vusimuzi Ichumelo (32), Phutsitsi, Nepfumbe and Danisa Nee Tsuma (32).
They are accused of a massive heist of United States dollars at the airport on March 25.
Another accused, Bhekithembo Khumalo (34) has died after being shot by police.
During the heist, gunmen held up guards at the airport gates.
Others armed with AK-47 assault rifles held up guards and police at a South African Airways aircraft and helped themselves to bags of currency flown in from Britain.
The hearing continues. — Sapa