House of spooks: Spies work on the 11th floor of the ANC’s Luthuli House.
Errol Velile Present, an employee at Luthuli House, has been fired by the governing party for his alleged involvement in cash-in-transit robberies.
According to News24, four suspects were arrested by the Johannesburg Metro Police Department’s K9 and the South African Police Service’s intelligence units following a heist in Dobsonville, Soweto, on July 6 and 7.
The four suspects — Zakhele Zondi, Itumeleng Manama, Bheki Biyela and Present — face charges of armed robbery and possession of hijacked motor vehicles.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Louw confirmed that when the four appeared in court on Wednesday, Present was one of the accused.
Earlier on Wednesday, ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe confirmed that a staffer at ANC headquarters Luthuli House had been arrested for “serious offences”. That staffer is allegedly Errol Velile Present.
The ANC’s official twitter account announced Present’s axing with a statement saying he had been dismissed immediately from his position at Luthuli House as the charges he faced were of “a serious nature”.
The ANC added that it would begin the process of instituting disciplinary proceedings against Present, in accordance with Rule 25 of the ANC constitution.
Rule 25.56 and Rule 25.57 will allow Present to explain why the ANC should not temporarily suspend his membership pending the outcomes of a disciplinary proceeding.
News 24 is reporting that over and above Present’s alleged involvement in a cash-in-transit heist, he was named in a R97-million “farm for friends” scandal which involved former minister of rural development and land reform Gugile Nkwinti.