Warrant Officer Van Den Berg

A witness, Warrant Officer Van Den Berg, described the scene on 22 June as chaotic in terms of counting exhibits and no one was controlling the counting.

“what he says is that it seems that the scene was chaotic and no one was ... everyone was just handling the exhibits”

Warrant Officer Mpangase confirms a call on the 23rd in his diary and Van Den Berg's diary, not the 24th as stated in paragraph 17 of his statement.

“That next day can not be the 24th, it is the 23rd, on your diary and Van Den Berg's”

Only Warrant Officer Van Den Berg has access to the safe and the keys, no one else including the Unit Commander may access it without him.

“After this, only Warrant Officer Van Den Berg. He has got the keys ... He does not give it to anybody else, not even me as the Commander.”

Gun inspections are done weekly by the Unit Commander who must get hold of Van Den Berg to open the safe, inspect the firearms, record it in the occurrence book and fire arm register before leaving and Van Den Berg locks the safe and keeps the keys.

“I had to inspect the official firearms that is housed in that safe weekly. I would get hold of him, he would open up for me. Whilst he is there, I will inspect the firearms. Once I am done, make an OB entry, sign the firearm register and then I leave and he locks the safe. The keys are always with him.”

Lt-Col Prinsloo and Warrant Officer Van Den Berg were instructed to make regular after-hours visits to the office and keep the information about the exhibits secret from other members.

“So, it is on that basis then that I ask, did you understand that request/instruction to refer only to the two of you, the regular visits?”

Only Lt-Col Prinsloo and Warrant Officer Van Den Berg saw the cocaine bricks being stored.

“It was only the two of us, Warrant Officer Van Den Berg and myself, just the two of us.”

Neither Brigadier Nyuswa nor Warrant Officer Mpangase nor Major General Senona gave formal instructions on how the exhibits should be secured and monitored, beyond a request by Major General Senona to occasionally pass by after hours and weekends; there was no formal plan and no officers were informed about these instructions except Lt-Col Prinsloo and Van Den Berg.

“Neither Brigadier Nyuswa nor Warrant Officer Mpangase nor Major General Senona gave instructions about how the exhibits should be secured and monitored other than Major General Senona's request to now and then pass by the office after hours and weekends. This was not a formal instruction or part of any formal plan. The request itself was difficult to implement as I was told not to inform other officers.”

Lt-Col Prinsloo and Warrant Officer Van Den Berg knew about the request to secure the exhibits and regularly visit the office, but other members did not have these instructions.

“Myself and Warrant Officer Van Den Berg it was good for us because we knew about it and we went the extra mile to visit the office. But I could not expect that from the other members. I could not give them those instructions.”

Lt-Col Prinsloo testified the members were not informed of any plan for the exhibits, contrary to National Instruction and protocol requiring immediate transfer to Forensic Science Laboratory within 7 days.

“Present at the office at this time is Major General Senona, Brigadier Nyuswa, Lieutenant-Colonel Dina Govender, Warrant Officer Mpangase, and the other members of the Provincial Tracing Team, and Warrant Officer Van Den Berg and myself. We were not informed of any plan about the exhibits. I say that because the National Instruction and the protocol required that the exhibits be immediately sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory. In exceptional circumstances, no later than 7 working days, we were kept in the dark about how long the exhibits would be kept in our office.”

Warrant Officer Van Den Berg locked the office security gate with a chain and padlock for extra security after the members left.

“Warrant Officer Van Den Berg locked his security gate with a chain and padlock for extra security.”

Lt-Col Prinsloo and Warrant Officer Van Den Berg activated the alarm and locked the office before leaving around 6 pm.

“Warrant Officer Van Den Berg made an occurrence book entry, and we activated the alarm, and we locked the office, and we left.”

Warrant Officer Van Den Berg normally handles access to the safe; no other members need access.

“There is nobody need to go into that safe. Warrant Officer Van Den Berg, he is the one that normally goes in. If anything is needed by them, he would go and take it out and give it to them.”

On 23 June 2021 Brigadier Nyuswa instructed that Warrant Officer Mpangase be allowed into the office to take samples of exhibits; Mpangase was assisted by Warrant Officer Van Den Berg.

“On the 23rd of June 2021, Brigadier Nyuswa called me and told me that Warrant Officer Mpangase needed to come to the office to take samples of the exhibits... I then instructed Warrant Officer Van Den Berg to assist Warrant Officer Mpangase”

Warrant Officer Van Den Berg compiled a list (Exhibit CJC 202) of the 27 black carrier bags sealed with exhibits.

“Warrant Officer Van Den Berg compiled this list for those members from Durban when they sealed the exhibits in the exhibit bags”

Members from Durban labelled and sealed the exhibits in the strong room with assistance from Warrant Officer Van Den Berg.

“Those members from Durban put them in. Warrant Officer Van Den Berg assisted them to seal it and they marked it.”

Warrant Officer Van Den Berg assisted to type out and draw up the register page CJC 202 and helped with the sealing of the evidence bags.

“According to him, he assisted them to type out, to draw up this page, this CJC 202. And he assisted them through the SAP 13 clerk in Port Shepstone to get the evidence bags. He was involved with the sealing of them.”

Warrant Officer Van Den Berg was present at the sealing and would know how many bricks were in the bags because he saw it.

“He was present. He would know how many because he was present and he saw it. Commissioner, yes, he was present there.”

Lt-Col Prinsloo knew from Warrant Officer Van Den Berg's involvement how much and how many bricks of cocaine were stolen, specifically 541 kilograms valued at over 200 million.

“After Warrant Officer Van Den Berg was involved there, I knew how much, how many bricks there were... 541 kilograms of cocaine valued at over 200 million.”

Warrant Officer Mpangase was said by Van Den Berg to have taken samples from the exhibits, but Lt-Col Prinsloo denies any samples were taken by Mpangase.

“I was later told by Warrant Officer Van Den Berg no samples were taken.”