Investigators and the prosecutor are ready for the trial of 12 people accused of stealing money from a South African Airways cargo plane at the OR Tambo airport, Gauteng police spokesperson Eugene Opperman said on Sunday.
All twelve — eleven men and a woman — were accused of stealing a substantial amount of foreign currency during the armed robbery on 25 March 2006.
Their trial was due to start on Monday at the Johannesburg High Court.
Opperman said 15 people had been charged, but two had died of natural causes while another had skipped bail.
Investigators revealed that the gang who stole some of the recovered money from the Benoni police station during the night of 25 May 2006, had nothing to do with the initial robbery at the airport.
”The thieves who broke into a safe at the police station were never part of the gang who were allegedly involved in robbery at the airport,” he said.
”They merely saw the opportunity to steal the recovered money for their own use.”
Those standing trial on Monday include Sean Soobramoney (33) Nazir Ishmail (40) Rokaaya Ebrahim (37) Magdalena Moonsammy (26) Ananias Nefumembe (39) Tijuanda Uakotela (37) Christopher Billings (39) Shikunwela Fox Sithole (31) Thokozani Ziqubu (35) Vusi Ndlangala (50) Uakere Maunda (35) and Vusi Khumalo (33)
Meanwhile, investigators were still searching for Msikize Magwaza (35) from Malvern in Johannesburg.
Magwaza, also known as Themba Ncube, failed to comply with his bail conditions and a warrant for his arrest has been issued, said Opperman. – Sapa