HAWKS SECURES MULTI-MILLION RAND FORFEITURE ORDERS IN CRIME CRACKDOWN
POLOKWANE: In a firm move to strip criminals of the benefits of illegal activities, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation known as the Hawks in Limpopo, together with the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit, continues to secure court orders to seize assets linked to crime.
On 30 April 2026, the Limpopo Division of the High Court in Polokwane granted a forfeiture order in a case involving suspected stolen property reported in Westenburg.
The accused, Innocent Chathyoka, was previously found in possession of suspected stolen vehicle parts and motorcycles.
The matter was subsequently referred to the Hawks for further investigation, which resulted in the court ordering the forfeiture of a Scania truck and Bahrain trailers, with an estimated combined value of R596,900.00.
In a separate matter linked to illegal mining activities in Burgersfort under Operation Vala Umgodi, police recovered an Isuzu KB loaded with chrome after the suspect allegedly fled the scene. The vehicle was forfeited, sold at auction and the proceeds were deposited into the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA) on 28 April 2026.
Further successes were recorded during operations conducted between 2024 and 2025 across Burgersfort, Mecklenburg, Driekop and Malipdrift in the Sekhukhune District. These operations led to the arrest of more than 20 suspects and the seizure of several trucks transporting chrome.
A forfeiture order was also granted for 97 truckloads of chrome, valued at approximately R800,000.00, with the proceeds paid into CARA on 29 April 2026.
The Provincial Head of the Hawks in Limpopo, Major General (Adv) Gobz Govender, welcomed the outcomes and emphasised that the focus of investigations extends beyond arrests. He highlighted the importance of disrupting criminal networks by removing the financial benefits of crime and ensuring that recovered proceeds are redirected to benefit the state.
