Property Hijacker Kingpin denied bail
The Executive Mayor of Johannesburg Cllr Herman Mashaba was today in court joined by Speaker of Council, Cllr Vasco da Gama, new Chief of Police for the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), David Tembe, and various officials from the Group Forensics Investigative Unit.
Mashaba was in court to oppose the bail application of Jonathan Constable, a accused property hijacker kingpin in the City, and his two co-accused, Bongani Khathide and Kingsley Eze According to Mashaba Hijacked properties are a major challenge faced with by the City.
Allegations before the court are that Mr Constable approached unsuspecting tenants residing in properties around the city and introduced himself as an investigator. He would then state that the true owners of the properties were hijackers and that the tenants should not cooperate with them. Further, he would instruct the tenants not to pay any rent to the owners but to him instead.
According to various reliable sources with knowledge of the investigation ,Mr Constable has been convicted of fraud before and was also found guilty of impersonating a police officer; he has a 157 page criminal profile. It is also alleged that he has been operating throughout the country and has criminal cases pending in Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and in the Western Cape.
During the the trio appearance the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), applied for a postponement in the bail proceedings so as to finalise its case for opposing this bail application.
“As a City, we are committed to providing quality low cost affordable housing to our residents. Building hijackers rob our residents of this quality housing and condemn many to living under inhumane conditions. We cannot allow this to continue any further.”said Mashaba addressing members of the media outside the magistrates court.
“we will continue to be vigorous in assisting our law enforcement authorities to not only capture these criminals but to also ensure that they are subjected to the full might of the law.” added Mashaba
“working together with law enforcement authorities such as the South African Police Services and the NPA, we are making strides towards making the City a safe and inclusive space for all our residents to live, work and play” Concluded Mashaba.
