Samuel Mashaba

The WhatsApp chats included messages discussing a meeting with Mashaba and a person called Tumi, and the messages referred to 'General' as Samuel Mashaba.

“It says: 'Salams, boss. The lawyer sent me a message to ask if the meeting with Mashaba and the people happened. Did Tumi or Mashaba give you feedback?' ... It also confirms these individuals are the same and they addressed Samuel Mashaba as General.”

Samuel Mashaba was referred to as 'General' on an audio found on his device and in chats, although within the traffic department there is no rank called 'General', the equivalent is Chief Director; only SAPS has a general rank.

“M a s h a b a w a s r e f e r r e d t o a s G e n e r a l”

Samuel Mashaba was never a member of the Hawks and thus not entitled to the title 'General' from that organization.

“I s u s p e c t M a s h a b a w a s n e v e r a m e m b e r f r o m D P C I . H e w a s n e v e r a m e m b e r o f t h e H a w k s .”

Chats show that Mashaba was referred to as 'General' only when talking to Tumelo Nku, which suggests a specific context for the use of that title.

“o n a l l t h e c h a t s t h a t I w e n t t h r o u g h o f Tu m e l o , t h e r e i s n o w a y h e m e n t i o n s G e n e r a l e x c e p t h i m t a l k i n g t o H e o n l y r e f e r s t o M a s h a b a a s G e n e r a l”

Mashaba used two phone numbers, one state phone and one personal phone, and was using names linked to 'Hawks' such as 'Doggie Hawks'.

“M a s h a b a w a s u s i n g t w o n u m b e r s . I b e l i e v e o n e w a s a s t a t e p h o n e . Th e o t h e r w a s h i s p e r s o n a l . H e i s s a v e d i s . . . M a s h a b a H a w k s .”

Tumelo Nku financially supported Samuel Mashaba, which is atypical as normally informers receive money from law enforcement, not the other way around.

“I n t h i s c a s e , i t i s Tu m e l o N k u w h o i s f i n a n c i a l l y s u p p o r t i n g S a m u e l M a s h a b a , n o t t h e c o n v e n t i o n a l w a y w h e r e a n i n f o r m e r i s r e c e i v i n g m o n e y f r o m t h e l a w e n f o r c e m e n t .”

Samuel Mashaba used the phone number saved as 'Doggy Hawks' on Tumelo Nku's device, but Tumelo Nku saved the number, not Mashaba himself.

“I t i s n o t h i m w h o s a v e d h i m s e l f a s D o g g y H a w k s . I t i s Tu m e l o N k u w h o s a v e d h i m o r h i s n u m b e r a s D o g g y H a w k s .”

Samuel Mashaba provided a business bank account named Shilobane Lodge which is registered under him.

“Samuel Mashaba provided that business account, Shilobane Lodge, which is a company registered under Samuel Mashaba.”

Tumelo Nku has two Telegram accounts, including one called Ghost48, from which messages were sent directing Samuel Mashaba on logistics.

“Telegram messages were discovered between Tumelo Nku with a username... Then Samuel Mashaba with the username sending Mashaba Hawks.”

Tumelo Nku sent a message to Samuel Mashaba with directions and coordinates using a Telegram account, specifying location as Yellow Jersey.

“He sent Samuel Mashaba, now... Mashaba Hawks, a location through Telegram of where they should go and the coordinates are that of Yellow Jersey. So it was Tumelo Nku sending Mashaba those directions.”

There was a correction in the record that Samuel Mashaba received the message from Tumelo Nku at 00:25:19 on 21 July 2021, based on evidence from the Evidence Leader.

“The correct correction was that Mashaba received at that time 00:25:19... On 21-07-09, Samuel Mashaba received from Tumelo Nku a location through Telegram... because of the Evidence Leader... we need to correct that.”

It is asserted that Tumelo Nku is the person who sent directions via Telegram to Samuel Mashaba using his device.

“This Telegram message is from Tumelo Nku's device. So he is the one who sent those directions or the message to Mashaba at that time. That is why I am saying Tumelo Nku sent the message.”

On 2021-07-09, Samuel Mashaba contacted Warrant Officer Phokungwana from Aeroton SAPS and received via WhatsApp the cellphone number of Warrant Officer Magane from Zonkizizwe SAPS.

“On 2021-07-09, which is the day of the incident, Samuel Mashaba called Warrant Officer Phokungwana from Aeroton SAPS, who then gave Samuel Mashaba via WhatsApp the cellphone number of Warrant Officer Magane of Zonkizizwe SAPS”

Samuel Mashaba, also known as 'Killer', was found to be linked to the phone number shared between Warrant Officer Phokungwana and others, indicating he used multiple numbers.

“That blue image, it is an extract from the phone itself ... Killer Owner, Killer is Samuel Mashaba ... Killer is Samuel Mashaba ... Yes, that is correct, Commissioner ... Killer is Samuel Mashaba”

Samuel Mashaba received the phone number of Joseph Marumo (saved as Marumos) from Warrant Officer Phokungwana on 2021-07-09 and could not have called before receiving it.

“So he received the number from Phokungwana ... he could not have phoned before he received the number ... So he received the number from Phokungwana”

Call records show that on 2021-07-09, Samuel Mashaba spoke to Warrant Officer Phokungwana for almost two minutes at 05:38, received Joseph Marumo's number at 05:41, then called Marumo and later Phokungwana again.

“at 05:38, that is when Samuel Mashaba spoke to Warrant Officer Phokungwana for almost two minutes ... then number was given to Samuel at 05:41 ... then Marumo, second call 07:12:30 ... then he phoned Warrant Officer Phokungwana”

Samuel Mashaba sent a location to Marumo Joseph Magane at 6:40:53 seconds, and the location was that of Yellow Jersey Logistics, Roodekop as per Google map.

“Samuel Mashaba then sent a location to Marumo Joseph Magane with cell phone number at 6:40:53 seconds. The location was that of Yellow Jersey Logistics, Roodekop as per the Google map.”

Extracted cell phone data from Joseph Marumo's phone was used to confirm communications among suspects including Mashaba, Magane, and Warrant Officer Phakula but excluding Tumelo because there was no communication between Tumelo and these individuals.

“This was extracted from Joseph Marumo's phone ... communication between Marumo, Mashaba and Rambos i.e. Warrant Officer Phakula ... even Warrant Officer Phakula and Warrant Officer Magane do not have any communication with Tumelo.”

During one statement, Marumo said he was at the parade at Zonkizizwe Police Station at 06:00, briefing the parade, confirming his presence there when he received a call from Mashaba at 06:24:31.

“During one of his statements, he says Marumo, he was at the parade at Zonkizizwe doing duty officers because he needed to brief the parade. The parade in the morning is at 06:00. So it confirms the time that he was in Zonkizizwe Police Station when he received this call.”

Tumelo Nku is not an informer and was working with law enforcement contacts who assisted him with illegal activities, including retrieving illegal drugs from a truck.

“Tumelo Nku is not an informer as he alleges because if that was the case, the drug-seizing was supposed to be seized in Durban. Why would he risk travelling all the way to Durban and come back following the truck? Tumelo was working for and had contacts within law enforcement who were assisting him with illegal activities. Samuel Mashaba, the law enforcement officer within the Gauteng Traffic Department, had connections with other units that he used to assist Tumelo to achieve his objective, which was to retrieve illegal drugs from the truck.”

Digital evidence including WhatsApp and Telegram messages show consistent communication between Tumelo Nku and Samuel Mashaba regarding containers suspected to conceal illicit goods and logistics around transport and retrieval.

“The analysis of the extracted handset data, WhatsApp chats, Telegram messages, Three mac screenshot images, call data records and movement reports indicates a consistent pattern of communication and utility between Tumelo Nku, and Samuel Mashaba and other identified individuals ... The Three mac communications show repeated references to containers, vessels, Pier 1, Customs, seals, truckers, transporters, and stuff ... The communications further indicate that Tumelo Nku, using the alias Philipp Plein, was in direct communication with the user identified as Alpha ... The cell phone data records places Tumelo Nku in the vicinity of Durban and KwaZulu-Natal during relevant periods when the Three mac conversations concerning containers and port activities took place, including May 2021 and July 2021 ... The Telegram communications between Tumelo Nku and Samuel Mashaba, including the shared route to Yellow Jersey Logistics, together with call data records and images found on Tumelo Nku's device, establish a further linkage between the subjects, Yellow Jersey Logistics and the container later found at Aeroton crime scene ... The images recovered from Tumelo Nku's device, including images of bags wrapped in black tape and images reflecting container or transport information, further corroborate the communication and movement analysis relating to the container and its contents ... The call data records analysed in respect of Tumelo Nku, Yellow Jersey Logistics, Sandra Engelbrecht, Samuel Mashaba, Warrant Officer Phokungwana, and Marumo Joseph Magane show communication linkages before and on the day of the incident, including the sharing of locations and contact numbers relevant to Yellow Jersey Logistics and the movement of the container ... The WhatsApp and Telegram communications between Tumelo Nku and Samuel Mashaba establishes that there was an existing relationship between them prior to the incident and that their communication included... The totality of the digital evidence analysed indicates that Tumelo Nku played an active role in monitoring, facilitating, and communicating about the movement of containers from the port of Durban to Gauteng, and that it was linked to communication and movement data to other persons relevant to Booysen's CAS ... The digital evidence supports the existence of a coordinated network of individuals communicating across encrypted messaging applications and ordinary cellular platforms in relation to the movement of containers, transport arrangements, and the suspected retrieval of illicit goods.”

Chief Mashaba states he received GPS coordinates from Mr Nku via Telegram on 9 July 2021 to Yellow Jersey Logistics in Roodekop for an operation involving intercepting a truck.

“Samuel Mashaba received a location from Mr Nku through the Telegram of where they should go, and the coordinates are that of Yellow Jersey Logistics in Roodekop”

Mr Nku's warning to Chief Mashaba about involving senior law enforcement officials referred generally to SAPS, metros and others, without specifying which agencies.

“Nku was trying to say, I understood it, because he is not a law enforcement official. I knew that he means it can be SAPS, it can be metros, and others. When he did not say do not be careful not to involve Samuel Mashaba... he did not specifically say SAPS”

On 2021-07-09, during the investigation of Booysens CAS 98/07/2021, Colonel Nkoana Joseph Sebola confiscated the cellular telephones of Marumo Magane, Boy Steve Phakula, Samuel Mashaba, and Tumelo Nkuas as part of the investigations.

“On 2021-07-09, during the investigation of Booysens CAS 98/07/2021, I confiscated the cellular telephones of Marumo Magane, Boy Steve Phakula, Samuel Mashaba, and Tumelo Nkuas part of the investigation”

The individual saved in Tumelo Nku’s contact list as 'General Mashaba of Hawks' was identified as Samuel Mashaba, who is a suspect in the case.

“the person saved as General Mashaba of Hawks was identified as Samuel .”

Communication between Tumelo Nku and EBBoss referring to 'General' or 'General Mashaba' pertains to Samuel Mashaba, as reflected in multiple screenshots saved on devices where both addressed Samuel Mashaba as General.

“when they are talking about the General of Hawks , they are referring to the person who is saved as Samuel Mashaba ... they both address Samuel Mashaba as General .”

The mobile number saved under 'General Mashaba of Hawks' on Mr Nku's phone belongs to Samuel Mashaba, enabling the connection between the WhatsApp messages referring to General Mashaba and the suspect Samuel Mashaba.

“the number that is saved as General Mashaba of Hawks is in fact the number of Samuel Mashaba”

On 9th July 2021, Samuel Mashaba of Hawks made contact with Albertan SAPS Warrant Officer Phakula, who then provided the contact number of Warrant Officer Magane of Zonkizizwe SAPS to Samuel Mashaba.

“On the same date, Samuel Mashaba called Warrant Officer Phakula from Albertan SAPS, who then, via WhatsApp, gave the contact number of Warrant Officer Magane of Zonkizizwe SAPS to Samuel Mashaba.”

Samuel Mashaba sent the location of Yellow Jersey Logistics to Warrant Officer Magane via Telegram on the same date, confirmed by Google Earth coordinates (pindrop).

“Samuel Mashaba sent Warrant Officer Magane the location of Yellow Jersey that was confirmed by Google Earth . Because he sent the pin drop. Then that pin drop happened to be at Yellow Jersey Logistics, Commissioners”

Samuel Mashaba referred to in evidence as a suspect in Booysens and a member of the Hawks, who sent coordinates through Telegram to Warrant Officer Magane.

“This Samuel Mashaba that is saved is Samuel Mashaba of the Hawks, and you say it is a suspect in Booysens, this is the same person that was referred to in your evidence area as the Gauteng Traffic person?”

On 9th July 2021, Samuel Mashaba sent three Telegram messages including coordinates of Yellow Jersey and a message stating 'We need to go' before 06:30 on the 8th July.

“And there you detail the three messages, right? So the first one is Mr Nku sending to Mr Mashaba the coordinates of Yellow Jersey. ... And then there is also a message that is sent by Mr Nku, and the body of the message says: “We need to go.” ... And then there is a third message that was also retrieved, which is before 06:30. That is the last one.”