THE trial of a South African national who was allegedly found in possession of 6kgs of gold worth over $300 000 has been set for March 21.
SILAS NKALA
Gert Johanness Drederek Erasmus (55) of 30 Kenton Sel Court in Johannesburg has not been formally charged and is out of custody on $20 000 bail.
Yesterday, Erasmus appeared before Bulawayo provincial magistrate John Masimba who remanded him to March 21 for trial.
It is the State case that following a tip off, detectives from the minerals sections arrested Erasmus on February 17 at the Esigodini tollgate along the Bulawayo-Gwanda Road at 9.35am. He was driving his South Africa-registered vehicle.
This was after the detectives had searched his car and recovered 6,112kg of gold worth $304 098.
Erasmus allegedly failed to produce a licence for possession of the precious metal.
Meanwhile, appearing separately before the same magistrate, Norman Peter Gardiner (71) of Imbabala Road in Selborne Park, Bulawayo, was not formally charged with illegal possession of gold and bribery.
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Gardiner is accused of illegal possession of 137,8grammes of gold and trying to bribe police detectives with R1 120 000 to cover up the case.
He was remanded to March 21 for trial.
Gardiner is out of custody on $8 000 bail.
The court heard that three detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department raided Gardiner’s home on February 17 and allegedly found 137,8g of gold in his gun cabinet leading to his arrest.
He then allegedly offered the detectives a bribe of R1 120 000.
