[miningmx.com] — ALLEGED corporate hijacker Sandi Majali was arrested by police in Johannesburg on Thursday afternoon.
Captain Amos Nhlapo of the Commercial Crimes Unit confirmed he arrested Majali at a Fismonger restaurant in Illovo around noon.
“I am busy with him (Majali) right now, please call me later,” Nhlapo said when Miningmx contacted him to confirm the arrest.
Earlier on Thursday, police said they expected to arrest four more suspects in relation to the “hijacking” of mining company Kalahari Resources.
Three suspects, Stephen Khoza, Haralambos Sferopoulus, and Elvis Bongani Ndala were arrested on Wednesday afternoon for fraudulently and illegally removing chairperson of Kalahari Resources Daphne Mashile-Nkosi and her brother Brian Mashile as directors of the mining company.
Sferopoulus allegedly altered Kalahari Resources’ details on the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office (Cipro) database, removed the Mashiles and installed himself and seven others as directors.
Nhlapo confirmed to Miningmx that the suspects will appear on Friday at the special commercial crimes court in Johannesburg.
A lawyer that previously acted for Majali, Phillip Webster of Webster Legal, on Thursday backtracked and denied to Miningmx that Majali was ever a director of Kalahari Resources.
“Like you I relied on the official Cipro information,” said Webster.
That is despite written correspondence in September in which Webster insisted Majali was the rightful director of Kalahari Resources.
“All I am doing is try to sell his shares in Kalahari. It is difficult, however, without having access to the company’s financial records,” said Webster.
Until recently, Majali indirectly owned about 8% of Kalahari Resources through Siyanda Mining Corporation. His 85% stake in Siyanda, however, was ceded to Absa as security for a loan that Majali has allegedly failed to service.
The arrests this week have brought some relief to Mashile-Nkosi. In addition to stepping up her personal security, she also had to hire private investigators to help trace the suspects.
“People will now begin to have some trust in the criminal justice system of this country,” said Mashile-Nkosi.
Whether or not the suspects are eventually found guilty, Mashile-Nkosi believed their arrest has proven that nobody is beyond justice.
Mashile-Nkosi laid the criminal charges in September after learning she had been removed as a director of the company she started.
The South Gauteng High Court ruled in her favour and removed Majali and his colleagues as directors of Kalahari Resources and awarded legal costs against them.
