South Africa News

Wife of ANC ‘heist’ man believes her husband is not guilty

The wife of a former ANC employee arrested for a Soweto cash heist says she does not believe her husband is guilty.

“I was so shocked. I’m not even coping. I have lost weight because I can’t even eat. I can’t talk to him and ask him to explain what is going on‚” the woman told eNCA.

She said her husband’s lawyer told her that witnesses called for an identity parade did not point Errol Velile Present out.

“They said he was not there. No one was identified. I don’t understand why he is still being detained if they have nothing on him‚” the woman said.

Errol Velile Present

Present‚ who until Wednesday was an ANC employee at the party’s Luthuli House headquarters‚ stands accused of being involved in a cash-in-transit heist in Soweto. The ANC confirmed he had been fired and would face disciplinary charges as an ordinary party member.

On Thursday police minister Bheki Cele said Present had been linked to at least three cash-in-transit heists. He said security officials at Luthuli House had told police that they “had their suspicions” about Present. C

The Sunday Times has previously linked Present to a controversial farm deal in Limpopo. He will appear in court along with three alleged accomplices on charges related to armed robbery and possession of hijacked motor vehicles on July 31.

A crackdown on cash-in-transit robberies‚ driven by Cele‚ has resulted in numerous arrests that have revealed suspects from a variety of backgrounds. TimesLIVE reportedearlier how police had smashed a syndicate arresting 23 people in raids across Pretoria and Johannesburg‚ including a Tshwane metro police officer.

Source: Sowetan