Referred to as: depot manager · Depot Manager
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Colonel Sibiya denies that he, Colonel Jacob, Duma, and Mpangase together approached the depot manager; he states only Colonel Jacob and Duma went to the office while he stood in the parking area.
“No, that is incorrect. It is incorrect. I never went to the office. We were standing in the parking. It is only the two that went to the office.”
The addition of the visit on 1 July to the statements seems to have been agreed upon between the witness and Colonel Jacob, and is problematic because initial statements did not mention this visit nor did the depot manager's statement initially.
“It looks like this is something that you agree to manufacture and add here, because otherwise you would have mentioned it in your earlier statements where you account for your involvement.”
The container was opened, its contents taken out, resealed, and the depot manager was instructed that the container must stay there and must not be moved.
“you, when you left the depot, so you opened the container, you took what was in there, it was resealed and then you instructed, I use the word instructed because I do not remember what word you used, the depot manager that the container must remain there. It must not be moved”
No formal records exist for what was found when confiscated at the depot; it is only the officers' word against any other potential claims.
“if the depot manager were to say, or the security guard were to say, in fact, there was much more than this, it would be your word against theirs. We have no record, proper record, official record, of what you, in fact, found when you were at the depot”
Lt-Col Duma gathered intelligence about a consignment of drugs at a private depot in Durban, contacting the depot manager for permission to inspect container BEAU595535 placed for inspection on 2026-06-22.
“I was holding the rank of a Captain working at Security Intelligence in Border Security Durban. During the performance of my duties, I gained intelligence about consignment of drugs in one of the depots... I informed the manager that I had received the permission from transporter and clearing and forwarding agents to have container number BEAU595535, placed for inspection, and to be inspected by members of the SAPS on 2026-06-22... The container was secured by the depot manager of our assembly and operational team.”
Lt-Col Duma explained the operational process of tracing a container upon receiving its number, contacting the transporter, clearing and forwarding agent and ultimately the depot manager to get permission for inspection, stressing the need to protect sensitive information to avoid compromising consignments.
“after gathering information and getting a container number, the first thing when you get a container number you need to contact ORS to try and trace where the container is exactly... I spoke to the transporter and I spoke to the clearing forwarding agent and they referred me to the depot manager. And then I contacted the depot manager. I spoke to her... I just mentioned that it is a container of interest... We just want to check the commodity... I did that to protect the information so that it does not leak that, you know, we lose the consignment.”
Lt-Col Duma acknowledged that he cannot recall the names of the transporter and clearing and forwarding agent he spoke to, but remembers the container number and the depot manager's name.
“I remember the container number. I know the manager at the depot that I spoke to. But the transporter and the clearing and forwarding, eish, I cannot remember their details. But I know I spoke to them.”
During the inspection of the container, DPCI detective members communicated with the depot manager to have the container inspected and noted the bill of lading and documentation indicated animal food as the commodity inside the container.
“Whilst at the depot, the DPCI Detective members communicated with the depot manager to have the container inspected. I noticed that the bill of lading and other documentation pertaining to the said container indicated that it contained animal food.”
Depot Manager did not inform Lt-Col Duma that the container was under detention by SARS, nor was there any indication or obvious sign from customs officials or anyone else that the container was detained.
“The Depot Manager does not tell you that it is in fact under detention by SARS? ... there is no indication whatsoever from anybody, there are no custom officials, Depot Manager, nobody indicates to you and there is no obvious signs that this container is under detention.”
When the seal of the container was broken during the operation, there were no customs or SARS personnel present, only SAPS, DPCI, and the Depot Manager.
“In the opening of this when, in this, now we are back in this operation, when the seal is broken there was no customs or veterinarian together with your police people. They were not there. You had only your SAPS, DPCI, the Depot Manager I think you say and, ja, pretty much. There was no SARS people there or customs people.”