Cape Town - Trouble seems to follow the City’s Safety and Security Investigation Unit (SSIU) head, Reynold Talmakkies.
This is after it emerged that his son David, 29, and three alleged gang members were arrested for possession of an imitation firearm and ammunition.
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk confirmed that five suspects aged between 16 and 38 were arrested on April 30 for possession of ammunition, discharging of a firearm in a municipal area, and possession of an imitation firearm. The case was registered at the Strandfontein police station for investigation.
Van Wyk said their last court appearance was on May 11 in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the matter was first dealt with by a prosecutor as an after-hours bail and the case was withdrawn against four of the accused. One was given after-hours bail.
Ntabazalila said one of the suspects (Damian Paulse) was given a date to appear in court but failed to do so. A warrant for arrest was issued and the matter was postponed to May 11 for final forfeiture of bail. However, Paulse again failed to appear and the bail was forfeited to the State.
David Talmakkies was previously arrested in December 2020 in connection with the murder of a Cape Flats rapper, Chad du Plessis. He and Garth Lamba were both released on R3000 bail in March last year at the Mitchell’s Plain Magistrate’s Court.
This as his father faced charges of defeating the ends of justice by allegedly corruptly intervening in a fraud case against a construction company. The case relates to alleged corruption at the City’s housing directorate.
Comment was sought from Reynold Talmakkies, but he failed to respond by the time of publication.
City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said it had obtained a legal opinion that confirmed that the SSIU functioned well within the law. He said the City could not comment on the behaviour of a non-employee.
GOOD Party general secretary Brett Herron said the circumstances of David Talmakkies’s arrest and the company he kept raised uncomfortable questions about integrity.
“When GOOD raised questions about the legality of the City’s shadowy unit, first named the SIU and subsequently the SSIU, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis responded immaturely, suggesting that questioning the unit was tantamount to supporting crime.
“The mayor defended his rogue unit based on national government failures to reduce crime. The truth is that organised crime (such as that allegedly committed by the son of his rogue unit boss) flourishes on structural weaknesses and compromised individuals in the ranks of crime-fighters,” he said in a statement.
The party called on Police Minister Bheki Cele to shut down the City’s SSIU unit.
“Two months ago, the Minister of Police publicly confirmed that the City’s SSIU is an unlawful unit and was committed to investigating its operations. In the interests of eliminating crime risks, rogue units must be shut down,” Herron said.